Hi everyone. I’d be interested to know if anyone has encountered problems with their regrowth of hair following a second bout of chemo. After FEC for my primaries in 2007 my hair grew back reasonably quickly - still had some colour and was interestingly curly for a while. Following Taxotere,which I had July to November last year, it seems to be taking an interminably long time to get to any real length at all. It’s very grey/white and hugely unprepossessing! Could it be the effect of exemestane, which I think can have thinning hair as a possible side effect or am I just unlucky/impatient?!? Any thoughts gratefully received…
I had 6 rounds of taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin ( still on herceptin) I had the last dose end feb last year it took a good 6 months for my hair to come back all over and now 12 months on its a reasonable length though short,curly and dark with a lot of grey that i dye.
my eye lashes and brows have come back very thinly and i seem to have less body hair in general.
Hope this helps.
I too have had FEC and found my hair grew back very quickly after this chemo (I used the cold cap so had kept a thin layer of hair anyway) but I finished Taxotere a year ago and although I now have a very good, thick head of short cropped hair, it took 4 months from finishing the chemo to going without my wig and even now my eyebrows and eyelashes are still a bit sparse.
Linda
I found that my hair fell out ‘differently’ the first time to the second. On EC chemo, it came out quite quickly whilst on Taxol it came out in dribs and drabs. Likewise, it seemed to grow back in at different rates (not that I had very much gap between the two) and took longer the second time around. And some areas of body hair have never grown back quite the way they once were, but we won’t talk about that here…
And sorry, I saw the title of your post, and could only think ‘Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me’, in a Frankie Howard, Carry On style. Sad I know…
Jenny x
Ha! my curly unruly hair has grown back even more curly and unruly … and courser, i wake up like there is an ice cream ( mr. whippy) on my head - and other parts of body thin… except my chin … now dont i sound attractive? Jayne x
Thank you all for your comments. They rather go to confirm what I suspected that the Taxotere has rather affrighted my follicles ( also had a nasty effect on my fingernails which I expected) and so the hair is going to be much slower returning but will eventually get there. Doesn’t help of course that I have fine, flat hair so even that which is there doesn’t look much…Ho hum… as I so often told others ‘Patience is a virtue,’.
As for ‘Infamy, infamy…’ there’s nothing at all reprehensible, to my mind, in being reminded of this by the rhythms of the subject heading…bet no-one can tell I once - it seems a century ago - taught English!!
Any thoughts on the impact of exemestane in particular; hormone therapy in general on hair growth?? or - terrible thought - am I just ageing so my hair is thinning anyway (57 and counting…) On n
that thought I’ll gibber off into the kitchen for coffee…
This is slightly off topic, but I wonder if you can advise me. I have had 3 FEC and 1 Tax, using the cold cap very successfully. My hair has thinned a little, but nobody but me would notice - its short and curly so covers the scalp well.
The problem is I have become phobic of the cold cap - to the point that I vomited through most of my last two chemo sessions. So with only 2 Tax to go, I have to decide whether to persevere with it. What do you think my chances are of keeping my hair through 2 Tax sessions without the cold cap?
Hello Finty
I have recently finished chemo 3 X FEC and 3 TAXOL, I too used the cold cap and like you my hair as thinned lots but I am left with a fair covering,
Initially I was meant to have taxotere but I had a severe allergic reaction and was switched to taxol,
I would personally try to continue with the coldcap I feel both of the drugs are just as harsh for hair loss, that’s why we are offered the cold cap; and after coming all this way it would be a shame to lose it.
Is their any possibility that the doctor prior to treatment can prescribe you a relaxant; it might be worth asking, I hope this helps in any way, you will soon be finished and it is such a huge feeling of relief when you do, best of luck
Ann x
Thanks Ann - good idea about the relaxant. I was thinking of some hypnotherapy but I don’t think I’ve got time to organise it before the next session.
Hello Finty. I agree.
Do your best to continue with the cold cap as I believe the tax will destroy your hair if you don’t wear the cold cap.
Best wishes and good luck - Anthi
I am not sure I should be reading all these…
i cant go through with it 
Dear Van
If you need a listening ear please call our helpline for a chat with one of our team, it’s open Saturday 9-2 and weekdays 9-5 on 0808 800 6000, they are there to offer you support and can talk to you about your fears and also point you to other sources of support. Please don’t worry alone.
Take care
Lucy
Hello Teacherjy
I’ve only had chemo once but in my case it was 3 x FEC followed by 3 x Taxotere. I’ve noticed - both from other women in the chemo unit - and from reading this message board - that Tax seems to be much harsher on the hair than FEC. People who’ve had only FEC seem to get their hair back much more quickly. There was someone on this site called Pineapple whose hair had never returned several years after taxotere.
My own hair took quite a long time and I put this down to a mixture of 3 factors: to the Taxotere, to the fact that I started my year of Herceptin 3 weeks after finishing chemo (Herceptin is also known to slow down hair growth) and also to the fact that I started exemestane 2 months after finishing chemo. I wore wigs and hats for eight months altogether but my hair did eventually come back thick and strong.
I’ve been on exemestane for two and a half years now and although nothing dramatic has happened with my hair, I believe its general condition isn’t as good as it was, it’s not so thick and it may be receding slightly at the temples. I peer into the mirror obsessively every day looking for signs of male pattern balding ! However, some people on this site report much worse results of AI therapy and I think Arimidex is harsher on the hair than Aromasin .
For nails I’ve found the best thing is Rimmel Nail Rescue.
Good luck and best wishes. Anthi x
Hi Teacherjy- as Anthi says there have been a number of posts re poor hair regrowth - and it’s a subject very close to my own heart!
My hair is still extremely thin and sparse on the crown and not much better round the sides and back and it’s now 15 months since I finished Chemo (3x FEC and 3 xTax).
After consulting various people ( both medical and hairdressing!) and reading the comments on the forums, I have come to the conclusion that it is not uncommon in post- menopausal women with BC, so just hope YOU are pre-menopausal.
I am 66 but had plenty of good strong wavy hair pre BC. Now I still can’t go out without my wig and am saving up to go for a consultation with Trevor Sorbie (…and there are other wig specialists) who really appreciate what hair loss does to a woman- even if she is more ‘mature’
Poor hair re-growth appears to be caused by a combination of factors: firstly it’s obviously the chemotherapy poisoning the follicles (and FEC is very tough on hair as well as Tax) then one’s age, and then the hormone therapy drugs -particularly as in my case, Arimidex… plus bad luck!
I think it is an under-recognised consequence of BC treatment and I hope there will be more interest shown in the future for those of us who are mourning our lost ‘crowning glory’.
Thank you Anthi and Topsymo - that’s all very useful and rather confirms what I thought so I shall go away and be more patient knowing better what to expect and being grateful for the regrowth i have got.
Van , my dear, please don’t be thrown off course by this thread. I’d hate to feel it made your tussle with the treatments any harder. Take heart - we’re all rooting for you and the side effects can be endured - especially if you’re not a vain old whatnot like me! If it’s any consolation, friends yesterday commented on the thickness of my regrowing hair so what they can see at the back is obviously better than the front. Goes to show what brain mush I’m in that when my husband was looking at the back of my head and said ‘Come round here yourself and take a look.’ I actually paused to think how I could do it! I suspect ageing is more what I have to worry about!