Hair after Chemo

Hello All

I have been reading some information about hair after chemo although I have quite a few sessions left to go (7) but there's nothing like looking ahead (no pun intended), could anyone let me know if when their hair came back if it came back their original colour or came back grey as I have just started losing mine and this is after one session number 2 next week what joys. I think I will lose it all by the time I have finished so will wait and see next week what happens and if need be just have it all shaved of rather than waiting to have a few strands left.

Look forward to hearing about your experiances

Littlesis

  • Thanks so much for that, Patricia, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the blog! It's been a HUGE part of my 'therapy' writing down all the stuff that goes on during the cancer journey, and I can recommend setting up a blog to anyone else out there who likes to write. It can be as private or as public as you like. The thought that it may give complete strangers a smile makes me feel VERY happy - I'm pleased you've got a laugh out of it!

    Some of the other breast cancer blogs I've seen are so intense, and filled with mind boggling scary, medical happenings, whereas I think I've just plodded along doing the job I do best - being a mother, wife, daughter, friend...with a bit of chemo and baldness thrown in. I've tried hard not to let cancer take over, but then, I'm in a position for that to be the case - I'm going to be ok from the 20th July as far as I'm concerned, and I'm very very grateful for that!

    I hope you and your lovely family are well, Patricia, and thanks again for your kind comments.

    shents x

  • Hi Littlesis.  I finished chemo last April. My hair fell out 4 weeks after chemo finished and my toenails also lifted.

    My hair started growing back 2 weeks after it fell out and seemed to take ages.  Now 8 months later I have had my first cut and have darker hair than before, thicker and curly!  Takes a bit of getting used to.  How long it lasts varies from person to person.  Some hair goes ba k to how it was but others still have their  curls years later.

    I was so used to trying to get body into my limp hair before, that now it's weird trying to flatten it down.

    All the best to you.  Did you try the cold cap?  And are you having rads too?

  • Hi, I finished my treatment in November, I didn’t shave my hair, it started coming out on the 3 rd week of treatment. I found it too traumatic to shave it off. I wore a wig right away and wore a sleep cap at night to save my hair going on the pillow. My wig is very comfy, my hair continued to come out throughout my treatment but my wig kept me sain. I didn’t go completely bald and it has started to come back in, pure white and like baby hair, it’s getting thicker every week and I will be wearing my wig for a while yet. I wish you well in your treatment and hope it goes in quickly x

  • Hi

    i had the cold cap so didn’t lose all my hair. However there was a significant loss and everywhere I went there was a trail of hair behind me. The shower plug hole and the washing machine were full of hair and it was alarming. When my hair grew back the new hair was curly    But the remaining hair stayed straight so it was very odd. I tried all sorts of straightening irons but nothing worked. The worst thing I did was to have it cut short as this made  it very difficult to manage and it just looked a mess. Now,   nearly 5 years on my hair on my head has returned to normal. Hair on other parts of my body has never fully grown back - no longer need any beauty parlour appointments to wax my legs or eyebrows etc. It was an upsetting time but your hair on your head should return to normal in time. I never experienced any changes to the colour although hair on my arms and legs is lighter in colour and less dense now and I appreciate this as a result of treatment. The hair on my head however is just as thick as ever.  These days I am more appreciative of my body hair and see it as a symbol of recovery rather than something to be removed.

    Good luck with your treatment and recovery. Stay strong with positive thoughts!

    Lilypad12A