Hi
I’m a few days post recovery of my 2nd lot of FEC and I now am starting to sport a friar tuck hair do.
A lot of my hair has fallen out and I was wondering if it’s worth carrying on with the cold cap.
Just wondering if anyone carried on with the cold cap when their hair fell out. Would it promote regrowth if I carried on using it?
Many thanks in advance.
Maria x
Hi Maria, I’m sorry you have lost some of your hair. It is possibly the case that the hat hasn’t fitted properly where you’ve had the hair loss. My friend also ended up with a friar tuck but she wore wee beanie style hats to cover the bald spot and kept her long hair - it meant she could get back to feeling normal quicker after finishing chemo. I’m afraid i don’t know of continuing with the cap would stimulate hair growth.
Good luck
L x
Hi Maria, I’ve had 3 FEC and 1 Taxotere treatments using cold cap. I have progressively lost a lot of hair particularly from the top and the back.-just like Andy from Little Britain!
I wear hats and occasionally very wide hair bands. I’m happy just to have some hair poking out of the bottom as it helps me feel better about a lousy situation! I have no idea if I’ll have any hair left by the end of treatment but I intend to carry on as long as I can.
Most of my hair fell out when I tried to brush out my wet hair which had matted after my first FEC. I wash my hair after chemo only-thats once every 3 weeks and keep the top covered. I know that sounds a bit urgh but I use dry shampoo so it isn’t too gross.
I’d say don’t give up but a lot of people do stop using cold cap and find it a relief. Good luck whatever your decision x
Hi Maria. I have had 3 x FEC, 4th one this week and like sukiem I have lost hair steadily all the way through mainly top and back but it is still ok, in fact someone said the other day that my hair looked great then proceeded to pull it to see if it was a wig!! I freaked at it being pulled but luckily she pulled a strong bit or she might have got a handful.
I have got wide hairbands and hats but so far I’ve managed without and I don’t think anyone other than me notices the thinning bits as quite a few people have thinning hair due to menopause at my age.
I wash mine once a week and dread it every time but I dont lose too much each time. I only comb it once a day and quite a few hairs come out every time but there is still plenty left on the sides at least.
I will keep going with the cold cap to the end as I think it will make it easier than starting from scratch with the regrowth and a few people have said that around the 5th chemo hair starts to grow back so that might fill in the gaps!
hi all
good to read yr posts as im about start fec-t my first chemo is on thurs 29th nov n im dreadin it im also gonna b tryin the coldcap but already no it dosnt fit very good as was able to try it on last week at my chemo talk, one was tiny looked like a kids other too big got told id get the friar tuck patch so gonna have to go with the no front hair tefall forehead look at least il b able to wear clip in fringe under beanie hat or scarfs x
sue x
Hello everyone
I used the cold cap once - I think the nurse didn’t know what she was doing and didn’t wet my hair enough or make sure the cap was cold enough or tight enough. I lost nearly all my hair before the 2nd chemo and didn’t bother with the cap again. It’s now 12 months after my last chemo and all I have a hairdresser coming to my house to trim my hair for the third time and to put highlights in for Christmas.
My hair did come back a different colour - now dark brown and I was strawberry blonde before. Just happy to have hair!
Hi all
I have used the cold cap 4 times so far and will be using it tomorrow for my 5th fec. Although I haven’t got a lot of hair left what hair I have helps when I wear a hat as it sticks out underneath so apart from being very thin it does look like I have a full head of hair. I also have a good friar Tuck going on but I would probably be completely bald if I hadn’t tried it. For me the cold cap hasn’t been too bad and as long as it is fairly comfy I will carry on with it. It makes me feel that I am in control of at least part of my treatment and its my choice if I give up.
I had FEC 2 10 days ago and used cold cap both times. Sadly most of my hair on top fell out when I washed it last week. Huge friar tuck look.
Got my partner to buzz off the rest even though the short hair around the back of my head was still strong. to be honest it will be a relief not to have to wear the cap again.
hi all
can i ask which shampoo yr all using while using the cold cap n how often do u wash it also how many days b4 chemo do u wash it
thanks sue x
Hi Sue. I use dove shampoo and conditioner, wash it the day before chemo and a couple of days after then once a week - I have to admit I dread washing it as it feels so thin but apart from a couple of thin patches on the top and back, it is hanging on in there and I don’t use any head coverings, I notice my hair is not as I would like it but others say it looks fine. I am still shedding some hair every day but its not too bad and no clumps! - I am having 4th FEC on Thursday.
I due to see onc dec17th re chemo, my big dread is the hair loss. Hats do not suit me.or scarves ,also ive always worn a long fringe, ive seen some falsefringes with velcro you can stick on your hat or scarf…bit likeRodney only fools andhorses pony tail ! Dreading it .Good luck evertone x
I used simple products. Just washed and left - no drying or heat products. Only wide combed gently once a day. Washed once a week - the last time was 5 days after chemo2.
I had the same thing happen. the hair on tip fell out and the rest was really thin after the second dose of chemo. (i suspect itwas after some bad advice from the nurse NOT to wet my hair but there was nothing that could be done anyway).
I decided to shave the rest off any not bother with the cold cap. I finished my chemo in early August and the regrowith was visible by mid-October. I stopped wearing scarves and headwraps after that.
Regarding re-growith: I noticed that my hair was still growing between the time I shaved it off and the following chemo session. Of course, after the next chemo it all fell out 
Having said that, my hair started growing properly within 6 weeks of that last dose. So using the cold cap won’t necessaruily give you an advantage for re-growth
I you can’t bear to cut or shave it though, just leave it be and wear hats. then after chemo, you can have it styles to accomodate the differing lengths.
Hi tomorrow will be
Here is a picture taken today (day before FEC 4). As you can see my hair doesn’t look wonderful and is thinning on top but it is still there – the cold cap is worth a try as it does work sometimes. Like you I don’t like scarves and hats but I do have them on standby and the wig but so far, so good.
Hi had my first fec on November on 28th November. Did the cold cap, the intense cold made me throw up, but after 10mins was bearable. A veteran in the chemo suite advised simple shampoo and conditioner. My scalp is beginning to feel itchy but am keeping everything crossed to keep my hair is really important to more.
Hi ladies,
I’m from the June thread and thought I’d pop in and say hi. I am 6 weeks post chemo and used the cold cap throughout my 6x FEC75. Sadly, I did loose nearly 95% of my hair BUT… I never wore a wig or full scarf as I kept enough that my bobbed hair was able to poke out the bottom of a scarf ( I sported an armish look) I’m glad I stuck it out as my hair started growing back on cycle 4 and i now have 1.5 inches of hair. Even my chemo nurses were pleasantly surprised when I went in for my herceptin yesterday. I know that by Feb I should have at least 3 inches.
So, where the cap didn’t work in stopping my hair falling out, it did however preserve the follicles.
God forbid I ever have to go through this again, I would do the cap again.
All the best to you.
Hannah xx
I’ve used the cap through 3 FEC so far and still have most of my hair even if I am doing more of a “comb over” on the top. I can feel new hair coming through as well.
I was advised not to wash my hair for at least 2 days before chemo; on the day I use a spray in and leave conditioner making sure my hair is thoroughly wet before the cap goes on. The first 10-15 minutes are the most painfu due to the cold but one of the nurses told me to have a hot drink as the cap goes on and try to hold the liquid in your mouth as long as possible and then keep taking sips and holding until you can tolerate the cold - she said it was because most of the pain was from the sinuses.