Loss of eyelashes/eyebrows

[Guest user]

just finished chemo (4 x FEC and 4 x TAX) and haven't lost all my eyebrows and lashes. Eyebrows are thin, but easily filled with a pencil and lashes are very short and stubby but eyeliner works wonders. As you say everyone is different, but have hung on somehow. My hair also started to grow after last FEC and pic was taken 2 weeks ago I think after last chemo. Good luck xxx

[Guest user]

hi i am just about to start my chemo sessions soon,not particularly bothers about that as i know everyone has different side effects,but petrified about losing hair,lashes and brows ,am gonna try cold cap an hope it works,although i know it dosnt always.wish i was as brave as some of you ladies who go out with bald heads-good on you jackie

[Guest user]

Hi everyone

Thanks for all the top tips - much apreciated. I'm booked in for a LGFB session, and will defo check out the kits and tips you can get from the makeup counter ladies.

Although my hair fell out, my eyebrows and lashes hung on in there for the wedding thank goodness, they were all I was bothered about!

I too don't really like the look of the falseys on offer, but my charming big sister offered to do a number with some fur and sticky-backed-plastic, isn't it great to have such family in times of need!!! 😉

tomnlorasmum - I'm on TAC and was told I would defo lose my hair, so didn't bother at all. I guess it depends on treatment, good luck if you decide to go for it!

Stick with it girls, I know its crappy but it has GOT to be worth it in the end xxx

[only1chris]

I did the cold cap. Yes it worked. Hair is thinner on crown, but as i had plenty no worse than many people have anyway. Must get good contact, i was told, so had hair cut short before sterting. To my surprise looked OK.. spiked it up with wax on top- lots of people thought i had chosen a new more modern style and complimented me!! Good luck. Not comfortable but worth the discomfort to go through the whole of chemo and not to need to wear a wig or a scarf.

[Guest user]

Can I plz ask any of U ladies that have posted a comment on here; did U bother wiv the cold cap? - I am goin tomoz for my pre- talk; then due to start chemo on Fri. I really need to know whether it is worth tryin to save my own hair, as of course I really want to if poss?????

[peacock]

I finished Taxotere last October and I still have no eyebrows, very few eyelashes but hair is ok again and on legs & pubes (just where you don't want it to be).

I hope I get eyelashes again, even if not eyebrows.

Take care

[Guest user]

Hi Caron

My eyebrows started coming through at the end of Aug and i finished my chemo end March. they are very fine ( nt that they were thick before) but unlike my lashes tht have come back ok i still use a little powder on the brows if putting make up on.

Fraggle take a look at the Barbara Daley web site. Some of the Clarins ladies on the make up counter are pretty good. one gave me a bit of a make up session and it was ok and would have been ideal for an occasion.

I am going to see about gettting hair extentions, not long flowing locks but something to give a bit more length to i have, a company called Racoon do a special insentive for people who have suffered hair loss. Apparently its not that wide spread at the moment but they are hing to train up more hairdressers

rhian x

[aliceblue]

Hi everyone, I had my last tax at end of August, but have been eyebrow and eyelash free mostly since June from first FEC. Tax finished off my eyelashes, but I've retained a few scant hairs on eyebrows.

The LGFB session was really helpful as putting a bit of eyeliner on upper eyelid helps give some sort of definition. I did try some false eyelashes in a department store but asked them to take them off as they looked really, really fake.

I found Benefit's browzings really brilliant though for my eyebrows and most people don't even know that I've lost most of them. You get a little kit (comes in a few colours, counter staff will help you find the right colour), with wax and powder and 2 different brushes. It looks really natural. Not sure what it would look like if you have no eyebrow hair at all, but might be worth going to a Benefit counter to see.

I have about 1 mm re-growth on my head, but just started arimidex and bit worried about s/e as one of them is hair loss/patchy growth. Oh well, just have to wait and see.

Love Alice x

[Guest user]

RECS

my friend very kindly bought me some false brows the trouble is they are way too long (you can cut them but I imagine it would be tricky) they are on some clear film like and you can see the film as it glistens.
love caron x

[Guest user]

FRAGGLE
you are right on the lgfb website it shows you how to draw brows on.

[Guest user]

Hiya Stella,
close to my heart this thread is!!
I lost hair (week 3 1st EC) I had 4 EC and 4 Tax anyway contrary to what ppl I did not pull my eyebrows out! lol
I touched some seeing if they were stuck down and they came out in my hand anyway lost all my lashes which as the same as others made my eyes run constantly.

I am 6 months post chemo now and am so fed up! my hair has grown back in a fashion!! its very very short and I still get stared at.
My eye lashes came back quite quick after chemo but my eye brows STILL have not come back and I am 6 months down the line now I am thinking they won't come back now as everyone else either never lost their eyebrows or they have grown back ages ago.
I hate drawing them in they look crap!! and am very cheesed off at it all.

Is their anyone else who has been longer than 6 months for their brows to comw back? thankyou x caron x

[Guest user]

Hi Fraggie

I wen to a look good feel better day in my area this month and it was excellent they showed you how to draw the eyebrows with a pencil apparently you start at the end of your eyebrow and draw a dot and then go to the centre of your eyebrow and do another dot and finally another dot at the end hope this makes sense but it really does work. You then just connect the dots together brings back school day memories of joining dots ha ha !!

You wont look like a clown and will be fine !!

Debs

xx

[Guest user]

Hi

I'm glad I've found this thread! I've never been a very 'girly' girl at the best of times, I can't really blow dry or straighten my own hair :-((not that I'll have to worry about that for much longer!!)

I'm really fine with the whole hair loss effect - and like you Rhian, am looking forward to a few months without the painful eppilator routine!!

My big concern is that I've got a family wedding at the end of the month and haven't got a clue where to start with the eyebrows! Are there any diagrams/tip websites that give an idiots guide to making yourself up? I'm only bothered for this one day, and am terrified of looking like a clown on the photos!!

Cheers, and good luck! xx

[Guest user]

Hi RECS , my make up artist friend let me try them but i felt i looked like groucho marks, even if you have thick eyebrows which i didn't they can take a bit of getting used to. there are LGFG ( Look Good Feel Good) sessions available ask your BCN and they have loads of tips on make up etc. But i found a brush and brown eyeshadow was really good not as harsh as a pencil. For Hair Trevor Sorbie has an initative for women facing hair loss because of illness /treatment take a look at his site.

rhian xx

[Guest user]

Hi - I am about to start chemo for the first time and am "planning" by way of taking my mind off things - I will get Epi /CMF and wonder has anyone ever tried false eyebrows - false eyelashes I get but eyebrows I wonder about they look great on the web and I would imagine easier to apply than painting them in - any thoughts ? thanks

PS this site is great - thanks for all the posts they really help 🙂 x

[Guest user]

The UNI QLO store do some great little cotton beanies/hats, like a bobble hat but cotton, and i picked up a couple that were reduced in price ( £5.00) when my head was bald yet i couldn't handle anything too warm on it due to the flushes.

A make up artist told me to use brown eye shadow and a brush for eyebrows, never a pencil as that can be a bit harsh adn give a gretta garbo effect ha ha

i wax ( too much info lol) and the best bit of it all was the money i saved when i lost my hair all over not having to wax.

rhianxxx

[Guest user]

Im due for my 4th lot of FEC in a couple of days.My hair started to fall out on the second week after my first chemo.It actually made my scalp sore so i lasted about a week and then went and had a crew cut at the hairdressers.I felt that eased me into the inevitable total hairloss.I kept the crew cut for a week but every morning there was so much hair on the pillow i eventually got my husband to shave it all off.
I personally didnt like the feel of the wigs.Also with the numerous hot flushes i've been getting i dont think i could have coped with a thick,hot head of acrylic hair!
I bought a couple of nice,easy to tie,scarfs from http://www.suburbanturban.co.uk, not cheap (between £30-40) but i have had a few comments about how nice they are.
I noticed a few weeks ago that my underarm hair has gone so thats a huge plus point.I do also seem to have lost my pubic hair underneath,not at the front (hope thats not too much info) which has felt a bit strange especially when i'm hot because ther is nothing there to absorb the sweat (agian,sorry if this is too much info).
So far i havent lost eyelashes or eyebrows.I have deliberately not worn mascara since i started chemo.I just felt i didnt want to be rough on my lashes each day trying to remove makeup.I do still have 3 FEC to go so who knows,i may loose them.
One plus point about loosing my hair is that i take half the time to get ready to go out!
All the best.
K x

[aliceblue]

Hi, my hair started to fall out at the end of first FEC, and then lost most of body hair gradually 2nd to 3rd FEC. Eyelashes went 1st tax, and eyebrows thinned. Someone suggested Benefit browzings and it's fantastic (although a bit expensive), hardly anyone thinks that I've lost most of my eyebrows! Tax stopped early because of side effects (neutropenia and nerve damage) 6 weeks ago, but no sign of hair re-growth yet. Eye watering a massive problem and didn't realise how important nose hair is! But very small price to pay.

Love Alice x

[Guest user]

MY lashes started to fall out after number 4. My brows are sketchy too. To be fair, i still have a fair few and i only have one more cycle left. I use a liquid eye liner for my top lids and a brown eyeliner for my brows and lower eye lids and i think-who knows!-ive mastered it ok!!!
People are probably fallin around laughing at my masterful eyebrows but personally could give a damn as chemo is doing its job and this is just a cruddy side effect that can be overcome!

good luck
S

[horace]

My eyebrows never came back![3 yrs later].Try not to worry about the side effects of chemo just concentrate on the main effect which is to try to eliminate any lurkers in your system.Good luck love.
Vx

[Guest user]

Hello Karen

Try not to worry about the chemos, it isn't pleasant but make sure you ask your chemo team for anti sickness before they administer chemo, they have some good anti sickness stuff and if they know you are suffering they really can help, unfortunately as everyone is different they do tend to wait and see how you are getting on before doing anything. You have enough going on don't add to your stress. As everydaymatters, says make sure you treat yourself on your good days.

rhian xxx

[Guest user]

hi wills 1

sorry chemo knocked you about, i had 6 lots last year. i too was very sick. but after a few different anti sickness tabs they gave me one called emend. it was great , made it more bareable, worth asking for. it isnt a nice experience, but believe me you really do forget about it. i found i used to drink lime juice and had a piece of dry bread by my side which i picked at. take no notice of the scare stories about each one getting worse, i used to find each one was different, and with a bit of luck, next one might not be as bad, but do be prepared, rest lots spoil yourself on your good days, u deserve it. take care x

[Guest user]

hi wills1
i had 3 fec 2 tax i was v sick on first fec but the hos do sort that out and give you anti sickness tabs they change them to they find one that works but with me by the time they did that i had fin fec but you do sometimes get diff s e on diff ones so hope your second one goes better dont be afraid to ask and just tell them what went on and how you have been gd luck laura

[wills1]

Hi

Had my 1st chemo a fortnight ago (4 x fec followed by 4 x Tax) I was violently sick on the Wednesday evening/night and the following Thursday. Had to go back to the hospital on Thursday to be rehydrated. After each chemo you have do the side effects increase and get worse with each session that you have? Do you have the same side effects each time? I am so worried about my next lot of chemo (Next Tuesday) really dreading it.
Thanks. Karen

[Guest user]

I had my last tax at the beginning of August, and I now have a sparse covering of what my darling OH calls "bum fluff." It's about a centimetre long, very fine and a lot of the follicles don't seem to be making any effort at all. I'm finding it very difficult to be patient - I'm constantly checking whether it's grown any more, and I've worked out which mirrors give the best light to see it!

I wore scarves at first, and sometimes my wig, but I began to find both uncomfortable - and I've heard that hair grows best when it isn't covered. So I started to go out baldy-headed - just walking the dogs in the park at first, then shopping, now back at work. I tend to forget all about it, but I do find that people are incredibly nice - if I drop anything it gets picked up immediately, people smile and say hello, shop assistants are super-helpful. I'd almost be tempted to keep it like this. Almost...

[Guest user]

Hi I had 6x taxotere with carboplatin And herceptin my hair completely came out 2 weeks after 1st dose, eyebrows and eyelashes came out gradually over next couple of sessions. I am now 6 months since last dose and hair is about 1 inch long having come back a different colour so next week I will go into work a brunette having been a blonde before.
I chose to wear lots of different colour scarves matching them with what I wore.
Saved a fortune on shampoo ,conditioner and hair cuts.

[Jo_BCC]

Hi Stella,

I have put for you below the link to the area of our website which covers hair loss and the 'Headstrong' service which I hope you will find helpful.

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.778

The helpline service may also be able to give you further information on this. Calls to the helpline are free 0808 800 6000
open Mon-Fri 9-5 and Sat 9-2

Hope this helps. Kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator

[brenda6]

Hi Stella,

I had 4x Taxotere. My hair did start to fall out after 1st but I didn't shave it all off until after 2nd. I lost all eyelashes but kept my eyebrows.

I am now 6 months post treatment and have had my haircut 5 times!My hair started to come back just after Tax finished and it has grown so quickly.My eyelashes came back very quick and now are thicker than before.

It is awful losing your hair Stella, I invested in loads of hats and two wigs,one blonde,one brunette so you can imagine I had fun with them. I was blonde before but now am brunette as everyone complimented me on my brunette wig! So a whole change of colour and style for me. I am driving my hairdresser crazy at the moment as I can't decide on what style to have.

You will get through this, my hair was my pride and joy and I had never worn a hat in my life, good luck with your treatment and please feel free to Pm me at any time

Take care

love
Brenda xxxx

[Guest user]

Hello all,

My experience bears out the others here - I had 4 EC then 4 tax, and yes I lost all my hair and eyebrows and lashes. My hair started to regrow during the taxotere, but quite unevenly, so I bit the bullet and shaved it all off again in January this year. It is now (2 haircuts later) about 2 inches long, and very curly. Having no brows and lashes made showers a nuisance as the water ran straight into my eyes, but both are growing back now - but it does take a time. I finished chemo in December 2008, and 9 months down the line have eyelashes that are almost back to normal, but very sparse eyebrows that I can feel rather than see. Thank goodness for eyebrow pencil!
Julie
p.s. I really must change my profile photo, as the long blonde hair went over a year ago!

[Guest user]

Stella, like you i have same regime of 3 fec, 3 tax. my hair stared to fall out about day 19 after first fec, hung on to a few wisps for a while thengot rid or it! Even thought i tried the cold cap. Eyebrows and eyelashes started to go a bit later. my eyes water too but have eysdrops to help. Having my last tax today and my hair has started to grow back, head is a bit like a kiwi!!!

hope all goes well for you
love debs xx

[Guest user]

My eyelashes and eyebrows fell out - the lack of eyelsahes meant my eyes watered alot... they have now grown back although the left eyebrow is still pretty sparce...

I had 4 x ac 4 x tax and my hair started to grow back after the 1st tax - i had my final chemo late oct 2008 and my hair is now a few inches long...

Theresa

[stellam]

Hello all,
I'm 12 days post 1st chemo (3 x FEC-T followed by 3 taxotere) I know my hair will start to fall out over the next week or so but was wondering what the likelihood is that i will also loose my eyelashes and eyebrows.
I have also read that your hair starts to grow back whilst still having chemo with taxotere. Is this the case? I would be grateful for any feed back on this.
Big hugs to all,
Stella