Hair regrowth

prudencerose

can someone give me a pep talk? I finished chemo on August 19th 2016. 6 weeks of radiation followed during which my hair completely left me. No regrowth happened as it does for some people. My hair regrowth is very slow and I am thin on top still after 5 months. I can't imagine ever having 'enough' hair again. I am taking 'hair, skin and nails' and using a restorative shampoo but I still worry. It doesn't help that my hair is grey and all the photos of people growing their hair back are young with even hair lines and dark hair. 
I just want to be normal again, free to meet people without a hat on, without wondering what they are thinking when I don't wear a hat.
i know this is vain but it is a small thing that is having a big impact on my return to normal.

Afraser

It's not a small thing nor are you being vain. Age should not be a factor in hair growing back, I was 68 when mine grew back (and much less grey!). Five months seems long enough to take some action. Are you able to see a dermatologist? Hair growing back is something we all cling to, and look forward to. Yours may just be very slow but there may be some other factors, which might be remedied. If regrowth is going to be very slow, or patchy, is a wig a temporary option? It can be a great morale boost - just walking down the street feeling and looking normal. Many wigs are light and easy to look after. Best wishes.

Brenda5

I finished chemo at the end of March 2016. At first my hair regrew as a soft down which everyone seemed to like to pat lol. Then it grew crazy curly and wiry. I didn't like it at all and did an inch and a quarter clipper over the lot. The next lot of growth was also quite wiry but not quite as nutty curls. I tried to grow it longer before a cut but it was going to knot up something shocking so I got it cut with a hairdresser who had as it turned out gotten good at cutting her sisters chemo hair years ago. It does feel softer now although it is still difficult to get to behave itself. I have gone bald around the temples and front as my hairdresser confirmed to me so we left as much fringe as possible to cover it.

primek

My hair initially came in white and now the new growth coming in is silver. My first hair was soft and downy and as soon as long enough I kept getting a trim so it looked styled rather than patchy. The last to grow in was the front of my hair line and that has only just really thickened up...I finished in August too...but I had regrowth during weekly taxol. Some chemos are harsher and it takes more time. I've been amazed at the different rates women I know have grown back at.

Hormone treatment can affect hair thickness. Thyroid conditions can most definetly affect hair thickness...so might pay you to discuss this with your GP.

My hair is very very curly. I have to use a product to stop the frizz. Everyone says it looks amazing. ..but I miss my straighter light brown hair. 

Hope things improve for you soon. Kath x

rowdy

Hi I'm 3 years this month and my hair is back but not the same. It grew back really curly and silver grey. It is no longer curly or grey as I colour it, my hair is no where as thick as it used to be and very soft. It is a really hard one as ever ones  grows back so differently. It is not vain to want to have something normal. ( there is that word again not to sure what is normal not me)

prudencerose

Thanks everyone for your comments. One day I may look back on this and smile at my impatience. I have found a caring hairdresser who I hope can work with me to make the most of what I'm going to get back. X

Zoffiel

I'd be impatient too! This is where that 'everybody is different' thing starts to get stressful. Having done bald before I'm a little more sanguine this time, but if it had been that long without much regrowth I'd be having a ' Where's me bloody hair '?' moment or two. Sounds like you need to have a chat to your GP or oncologist and see if they have any recommendations. What's the bet they tell you everyone's different. 
Keep us posted.

melclarity

@prudencerose I am sorry to hear this, and it is a big deal! of course! Once I finished Chemo my growth was very slow but still it has grown am 13 months now. I wondered what Chemo regime you had?? as there have been others on here who have had problems with regrowth due to a specific chemo used? Wishing you lots of growth, try taking magnesium too as it services over 300 enzymes in the body in helping regeneration. Hugs Melinda xo

Kathyjane

Hi..i lost my hair 2 weeks into my first dose of chemo..it was devastating then i changed chemo and it started growing back...taxol was the drug. That was Oct16. I now have a very short hair do ..more on top than the sides but it is all over but i want it long again..it came back grey but i couldn't do that so it is brown ..semi permanent used...
It is not vain .. it is normal and I hate having hair this short... but im told I look good either way.. 
hang in there.. 

prudencerose

Thanks all. I had 4 doses of AC. Then I was supposed to have 12 weekly doses of paclitaxel but stopped at 7 due to neuropathy in my fingers. Then I had 2 doses of docetaxel which really fried me! I had red blotchy rash over my face and hands. No hair grew during this time. Quite the opposite and I lost hair everywhere. When I get hot now (which is fairly often, thanks to hot flushes) my face goes red which it never used to. I haven't got all my eyebrows back yet either. There are some pluses. The hair under my arms and on my top lip is slow too. Thanks for all your love and advice. I managed to be positive during treatment but this just seems an insult after everything else

Zoffiel

Weird isn't it? I'm having dosetaxol at the moment, my hair fell out two weeks after the first round but it keeps growing back between rounds and feels like my head is covered in Velcro. So I shave it.

 I could spare you the image of a woman sitting in a bathtub weilding a razor without a mirror, tongue hanging out in concentration trying to figure out WTF the back of her head looks like....

And then there is the reverse Brazillian where  the hair you'd get rid of when maintaining your bikini line stays and all the rest falls out. And your eyelashes suiciding into your eyeballs at the most inconvenient times...

Phhffft.

melclarity

Hi! Oh ok I had 4 FEC and 8 Taxol, paclitaxel is Taxol. Docetaxel is taxotere and this is the chemo that other ladies have talked of that they are struggling also many months on for any growth. I know only from ladies on the forum talked of this and it's docetaxel. X 

Glemmis

Hello, my oncologist said she wouldn't use Docetaxel as it was unacceptable that some ladies don't get their hair back. I am coming up to round 10 of paclitaxel but no sign of any hair regrowth yet!

Jane-Altona

Hi, I had 3 X FEC and 3 X Docetaxel. Lost all my hair (I mean all) on FEC. It took 4 months before I started to see any regrowth after the last Docetaxel. I was getting worried. At post 8.5 months the head hair is thick, curly and soft (never had curls before), the eyelashes & eye brows ok but not great. But I have hair!

melclarity

Oh ok. Glemmis I had no hair growth until i completely finished Taxol i had none come back through treatment. It took 5 months after my last infusion of taxol before i had a good head of hair. So id say youll be fone. Hugs Melinda xo 

prudencerose

Thanks ladies. It does sound like I should be more patient. We'll see how it goes. Will keep you posted