Post-chemo hair

[emmaclark07]

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[JiffyUltra]

My hair to a while to grow back, but dabbing a bit of argan oil onto my hair roots and rubbing it around really helped.  I was at a bald fase for a couple months solid post treatment until I started with the moroccan oil treatment.

[Mazzalou]

Many thanks for your replies ladies.
I haven't noticed any difference in the speed of growth since finishing herceptin, KarenQ, although we are all different in how our bodies recover from the effects of chemo. I also agree with Kitten_mad that it is best to keep having your hair trimmed regularly as the first lot of hair that growas back is chemo-hair with a mind of its own!
Lucky you Sam - my leg hair is as lush as ever! Since it took you a good year almost after herceptin for your hair to thicken up, I am hoping that mine will too, although I would like to help it along its way.
I looked at Nioxin 4 on Amazon kitten_mad, but there seemed to be so many products that I was totally confused. What exactly did you use, and has anybody else tried Nioxin 4 and what were your results? I also use Moroccan Argan oil on my hair and also used almond oil as a massage to loosen the dead hair and skin from my scalp once my hair started sprouting again.
Mazzalou

[BlackSwan]

I had the same chemo as you, and also Herceptin. My last docetaxel was in March this year and my last Herceptin will be February next year.

I've read that docetaxel(=Taxotare) can be really rough on hair follicles and some people (only a small percentage) have permanent hair loss. On the other docetaxel is a stronger ant-cancer drug than FEC and a higher percentage of tumours respond to it.

My eyelashes and eyebrows grew back very quickly and are as thick as ever.

I got some thin white fuzz on my head fairly within about 4-6 weeks, but it gradually thickened up, so now I hae a full covering of hair, but it is still very short. Not much more than 1cm at after nearly 4 months. But I am so happy to have hair, I don't mind the buzzcut. Hopefully it will eventually get longer.

If anyone is interested, I am recording my hairgrowth (with photos) on my blog - how vain is that!. Also my hair colouring "experiments" - I didn't like the "chemo white" hair colour.
http://iameclectica.blogspot.co.uk/p/chemo-hair-regrowth_16.html

But I still have no hair on my forearms and hardly any armpit hair.

[SamLee]

Thought I would let you ladies know there is light at the end of the tunnel eventually.
Mazzalou, I had roughly the same treatment as you - my chemo was AC and Paclitaxol and I had it every 2 weeks so it was very harsh. I also had Herceptin. I finished Herceptin in February 2012 and from when my hair started growing back (May 2011 onwards) I kept cutting it back to really short as when it grew it was typical chemo hair and I couldn't cope with it so for a long, long time. I had the shortest crop possible.
Now though it is exactly as it was before BC. It started to be the same texture about January this year so I finally let it grow. So at the moment I have a graduated bob which is chin length at the front and a bit shorter at the back and I am just growing out my fringe now into one length. So there is hope. I didn't do anything special or use anything special, just my usual Redken shampoo and conditioner.
As for my eyelashes, they grew back but they aren't quite as thick as they were.
The funniest thing however is my leg hair has never grown back - so no more waxing or shaving for me........
Sam

[kitten_mad]

I had the same Chemo as you but no Herceptin and finished Chemo in Sept. I was advised to use Nioxin 4 which is for chemically treated hair - it is quite expensive but jelly like in texture so you really don't need very much - I got mine from Amazon and it was £23 a litre including postage. I still have loads left and use it every 2 or 3 days, it really sped up the growth and thickened the hair especially at the front where it was definitely thinner (and the last to grow back). As the bottle was so big I decant some into smaller bottles which means you can take it on holiday. If you use the big bottle in the shower it was too big to handle! I have now had my hair cut twice and the curl is definitely relaxing. KahrenQ maybe you should have a little trim to sort it out - it is scarey as you don't want to loose any of your new hair forever unruly it may be. Also no wig, unless for work etc. and expose it to the sunlight as much as possible. While my was growing back and not exposed to the world at large I also massaged it daily with Olive or Almond Oil to stimulate the follicles. Hope this helps a little
I still sometimes feel I am wearing a wig and put my hand up to my head if it is windy!
KM x

[Guest user]

Hi Mazzalou
Thanks for this post - I will read with interest! I am a year behind you - finish herceptin in October this year. I sort of have hair - it seemed to come through quickly to start with and is quite thick. However it seems to have stopped growing at a point it looks awful! It has grown in every possible direction, is about 2cms long, grey and dry. I seem to have 2 partings coming, 2 crowns and the hair in the middle insists on looking like a mohican.
Did yours speed up after the herceptin finished? That is my hope!

Kahren

[Mazzalou]

I was looking at some pre-BC treatment photos which really showed how my hair hasn't yet returned to it's original thickness. I finished my chem in Sept 2011 (3 FEC and 3 docetaxel) and then finished my course of 18 herceptins in September 2012. Can anyone who has had the same regime let me know how long it took (if at all!) for their hair to return to it's previous thickness? My eyebrows are also much sparser, but I am a 'child of the 60's when the look was for non-existent brows unlike today's 'heavy-brow' look. I can disguise my eyebrows with make-up, but wondered if anyone has any tried and tested remedies for my hair. I did take Biotin B7 once my chemo finished, but it didn't seem to have any noticeable effect. My hair growth is as fast as it ever was, but I just wish it would thicken up.
Can anybody recommend something that has helped them to regain the previous thickness of their hair please?
In the great scheme of things though at least my hair has grown back and I will never, ever complain about having a bad hair day again! xxx