I finished my chemo on 24th July - just over 3 weeks ago so my body only now knows that it’s not getting another blast. I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes whilst on Taxotere. I didn’t lose all my hair as I used the cold cap, although it did thin and I now see a lovely covering of new baby hair in my scalp where i used to see nothing. However, my eyes are constantly running due to the eyelash loss. It is really driving me crazy. Can anyone tell me when they should start coming back.
I think everyone has a different story to tell about hair, eyebrows and lashes, but in my case I had 3 x FEC and 3 x Taxotere and finished chemo on 1st May. I lost most of my hair on FEC and my lashes and brows started to thin out very gradually. I continued to gradually lose my lashes and brows while on Taxotere and for 4 or 5 weeks after I finished. My lashes only came back fully a couple of weeks ago. My brows are coming back well and are almost there.
I hadn’t worked out that was why my eyes keep running, it steams up my glasses!! I went to a ‘Feel good look better’ course organised by chemo dept. I came away with £200 worth of cosmetics, and had a lesson on how to make your eyes look larger etc. I never wore make up, but do feel better with eyeliner, mascara (on the few upper lashes i still have), and a bit of eyeshadow!
I had my last chemo on 27th December 2006 and finished radiotherapy on 26th February 2007. My lashes came back quite fast really, probably within 4 weeks, and it was great to be able to wear mascara again. I felt it put back an expression on my face when my lashes came back and I felt tons better. Good luck, they should soon start to grow again.
As we keep saying - we’re all different! All my hair, fine and thin as it’s always been, started growing ever so slightly by 2 or 3 weeks after the final Tax. Nails were a mess for a lot longer though.
If you are really concerned then there are products (Nourkrin is one I think) that claim to promote hair growth. Apparently Cheryl Baker’s ponytail doubled in thickness after about a year … and a wad of cash no doubt!
I will spend some time over the weekend willing your hair to grow, it’s the least you deserve after the chemical assault on your body.
just thought id let you know my experience, I lost my hair before xmas but kept my eyelashes and eyebrows which i was grateful for!!! finished chemo at the beg of January and then about four months on i started loosing my eyelashes and my eyebrows thinned a bit, they grew a little then thinned out again and this is now eight months on, spoke to my onc and he said that the chemo can stay in the body for a long time as i had problems with my nails as well only a couple of months ago!!!
They have just started growing again but finding eylure eyelashes fantastic so just keep them on but hopefully my eyelashes will stay with me this time!!
i finished chemo around the same time as Anth beginning of May and I am really green with envy as hers are nearly normal and mine are just growing. As lots on here remember losing my eyelashes was far worse than losing my hair because you have scarves wigs etc. False eyelashes wouldn’t stick on my eyes. I think that having no eyelases
/eyebrows makes most people look ill. I WANT MINE BACK preferably longer and curly but not holdin’ me breath ha ha. I wouldn’t empty the dustbin without mascara on before bc. Today I saw myself in the darkened glass at Christies and I looked a right b … er. I had to look behind me to make sure it was me, have you ever done that? It was me alright. I have really let myself go as if I am saying to the world I have a right to look like this I have bc. Well I am going to stop slopping about like slack Alice and start taking a bit of pride in my appearance. eyelashes or not. Right now I have given myself a severe talking to I will log off good night ladies. Think I will go out and get p…ed tomorrow. Love Eileen
On the topic of eyelashes and wanting to look good etc., some of you may or may not know that most beauty shops/salons whatever theyre called these days actually fit false eyelashes. From people I know who have had it done they make a very professional job of it, not necessarily fitting a whole set but actually putting individual eyelashes in where needed. So hopefully we wont all look like Barbara Cartland but more like Penelope Cruz! If my eyelashes keep disappearing at the rate they are, I will definitely give this a go! I’ll keep you posted as to result!
Then I could always follow Eileen’s advice and get p****ed instead then I wont be able to see my eyes anyway!
honestly try eyelure lashes with the glue not the ones glue’d already, there fab, i keep mine on for about 3-4 weeks, every couple of days i blob along the top with a bit of the glue and it keeps it stuck down, i dont take them off and can sleep in them. I have a few eyelashes and recently went to a health spa for the day and got the individual eyelashes put on but they attach them to what was there already to thicken it out and it actually damaged them more so when they fell off my eyelashes also fell off with it, very annoying so im just making do with the false one’s, the glue is brilliant.