I completed 8 rounds of chemo last July and have my 14th out of 18 herceptin treatments tomorrow.
My hair has been very slow growing back. I didn’t have any hair for 4 months after chemo. Now I have almost full coverage of about an inch all over (but a baldy patch on top). The hair is much thinner than it was too and a weird cotton wool like texture.
I was wondering if anyone who has been treated with herceptin noticed their hair growth speeding up and/or hair texture returning to normal once the treatment complete. My oncologist insists herceptin is not the cause but I have read it can cause slow hair growth I’m sure.
I just want a half decent hair style! x
I had my last chemo end of March 2020, and then went on to have herceptin & pertuzimab every 3 weeks I had the last infusion in February 2021.
I lost all my hair on the EC chemo but when I changed to docetaxol I noticed it had started to grow back. Then a month after finishing chemo it started to fall out again but mainly only on the top of my head. It seemed to take forever to grow! By the summer of 2020 the hair on my crown my had grown back in and i finally had a full hair of hair but it was very short.
My hair grew back thick and curly and for a good year it felt quite wirey, it’s about shoulder length now.
I personally feel herceptin slowed the re-growth considerably and once the herceptin was out of my system it started to grow a lot quicker.
im on tamoxifen now and have noticed a bit of thining but nothing too bad at the moment.
Any questions let me know… All the best x
Hi Laines, sorry to hear you are having hair regrowth issues.
I too had Herceptin and it seems to have almost halted my hair regrowth. I finished Herceptin in February 2020 and didn’t throw the wig away until that July, 18 months to grow something resembling a short bob. My hair took ages to even start to grow after chemo, and as much as I saw other ladies rocking the thick pixie cut style, mine was thin and awful. My hair is now thinner and weaker than it was before. I had strong almost wiry straight hair, now it is dry and wispy and feels hardly there. I’ve lost a good 40% of my hair for good it seems, and it’s very upsetting. I used to have fast hair growth, I had to trim my fringe about once a fortnight. Now that is every couple of months, what’s left of it. I still have hair from the top of my head that has not yet reached my shoulders, I’ve literally grown about 8 inches of hair in three years. Before my treatment started my husband joked that I probably wouldn’t even lose my hair as it was so strong and fast growing, it all fell out within days after the second round of chemo, no itching or warning, just all went.
I also have extremely dry skin now and lots of stomach issues with digestion that just never went away after chemo, so I think I am just very unlucky. But I do think Herceptin switched something in my body and all my fast cells are now on a go-slow.
I know this probably isn’t what you wanted to hear but hope that knowing what my hair growth has been like, you know you are not alone.
I just thought I’d add that I have taken biotin supplements since finishing herceptin witch I think helped and I now also take omega 7s to help with dry eyes and skin.
Thanks for responding ladies. It’s so disheartening but equally I know having hair not the most important thing.
Hopefully, growth will speed up once the herceptin is out of my system.
From what I’ve read, it’s not uncommon for chemotherapy to cause hair loss, and it’s possible that Herceptin may also be contributing to slow hair growth.
Have you tried any hair growth products or treatments? I’ve heard that Hair Folli is a popular option that many people swear by. It might be worth looking into if you haven’t already.
Either way, I hope your treatment goes well tomorrow and that your hair starts to come back stronger and healthier soon!