hair after cancer

hi everyone, my mum had a brain tumor in her late 20s early 30s. i don't know all the details of it because i wasnt born then but thankfully she beat it, shes now in her 50s but her hair never really grew back properly (she had radiotherapy and im pretty sure she had chemo too). Before cancer she had very curly 3a hair. Where the tumor was, she had an operation to remove the tumour, the area all around that bit has never grown back, but that is at the bottom of her head so the rest of the hair mostly covers it, but the rest of her hair, which did mostly grow back, it came back very very thin and brittle and you can see that it used to be curly, the curls r kinda there but very undefined. Her hair is one of her biggest insecurites and we were looking at old pictures the other day and she got really upset hair hair isnt like that anymore. I understand there may be nothing to help it as this was like over 20 years ago but i thought id just try and see anyway if anyone knows any products or anything that could help it either grow back a bit more or just make what hair she has at the moment look better, either way any reply would be appreciated, thank you

  • Hello lizbeee, 

    I can imagine this issue with her hair twenty years post treatment must have had long term consequences for her and that it has made her feel insecure and self-conscious. We have a whole section on our website that is dedicated to hair issues following cancer treatment and you can find it on this page. It may be worth her talking to a hair professional who has expertise in dealing with cancer patients and who would know what kinds of products would be most appropriate for her. You might also be interested in having a look at our Cancer Care range in particular the hair care section here which specialises in products designed for people who have experienced hair thinning and hair loss as a result of cancer treatment. 

    I hope that you will also hear from others here who have experienced similar long term issues with their hair and that they will be along shortly to share their stories with you. It's great to hear though that your mum beat brain cancer and that she is doing well. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator