My eyes have been really sensitive for a few days now which I was hoping was just a reaction to the cold, windy conditions. BUT on closer inspection I am pretty sure that I am losing my eyelashes. My lids are very red and there are definitely less and less hairs there. Everytime I touch my irritated eyes I come away with a few hairs! Having got through 4 of 6 chemos I was hoping that I was going to escape with eyelashes and brows intact but maybe not. I know this is really minor in the scheme of things but I think this is actually worse than losing the hair on my head because it is not so easy to cover! My eyes are very sensitive at the best of times and I can't imagine putting make-up on to help with the naked eye look. I guess the soreness will settle and maybe I will be able to do it then. I did go to a LGFB workshop so I know what to do. I have never worn much make-up so this will be a bit of something different for me. The eyebrows are definitely looking on the thin side too! Oh well, after landing in hospital with neutropenia this week I might just go into hibernation for the next few weeks until I get through that last Chemo. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for eyebrows/lashes to grow again after chemo finishes? Sorry to be going on about a minor issue but sometimes it helps to know how long you have to expect to have these side effects. Deanne xxx

Hi Deanne, sounds like you've been having a rough time of it lately. I was just like you, thought I was going to escape losing lashes/brows, but then they dropped. And like you I found it unsettling not just in terms of appearance but as a functional problem, especially in cold weather. My eyes would stream, my nose would run (no nostril hairs, I guess--who knew they did so much work?). As you say, it's minor in the scheme of things, but still... To the point: everyone's different (la la la, I got a bit tired of hearing that, even though it is true). For me the regrowth on my head was really quick (my hair started growing back even before I'd finished chemo -- 8 rounds); but agonisingly slow for eyelashes. Seriously, I reckon they're about nearly normal just now, and I finished chemo 18 months ago. So you could be in for a long haul. I did the false eyelashes thing just once, for a party, and it looked great. Apart from that I just told myself it's a 'look' like any other, and just tried to wear it well. (I'm pretty delusional to start with, so that worked ok for me.) Other times I thought, well I've exchanged hair loss (etc. etc.) for my life, and that helped me maintain perspective. Go well,Heather

Sorry to hear you've been in hospital.I did the 4 day isolation gig with my first chemo round - not fun at all.My eyelashes/eyebrows fell out,grew back tnen fell out again! So it seemed ages before they came back and it was about 6mths for my head hair to get to a buzz cut-definitely a long haul for me.Even 3 years on,my eyelashes are just stubble but my eyebrows are ok,just never have to pluck em.I hope you are one of the lucky ones who can grow hair quickly. And it is not a minor issue cos you have to get around still looking like a"cancer patient"for ages,long after treatment has finished.I had my first short hair cut,colour and style about 8 months after chemo and I had my brows and lashes back a few months before that. Look on me as your worst/slowest case scenario and you'll be pleasantly surprised if you get it all back sooner! Tonya xx

Hi Deanne Losing your eyebrows and eyelashes is not a minor thing at all. I really struggled with that, more so than losing my head hair. And it happened to me twice!! Lost it all after 4 rounds of FEC, then it all grew back through rads, then all fell out again through taxol. My hair grows really quickly but eyelashes seem to have a mind of their own. Only really back to semi normal now 12 months on. Losing your eyebrows & eyelashes, to me, really screamed to the world "I have cancer" and I really hated that. So my advice is if you're good at pencilling eyebrows than do it everyday to feel good. I really sucked at that so I didn't bother. Wear lots of eyeliner once your eyes settle down, and always wear sunglasses.. Keeps any irritants out that previously were stopped by lashes.. They will grow back. Kat xx

Eyelashes/brows going, going .....

22 Replies

hb
Member
13 years ago
Hi Deanne, sounds like you've been having a rough time of it lately. I was just like you, thought I was going to escape losing lashes/brows, but then they dropped. And like you I found it unsettling not just in terms of appearance but as a functional problem, especially in cold weather. My eyes would stream, my nose would run (no nostril hairs, I guess--who knew they did so much work?). As you say, it's minor in the scheme of things, but still...

To the point: everyone's different (la la la, I got a bit tired of hearing that, even though it is true). For me the regrowth on my head was really quick (my hair started growing back even before I'd finished chemo -- 8 rounds); but agonisingly slow for eyelashes. Seriously, I reckon they're about nearly normal just now, and I finished chemo 18 months ago. So you could be in for a long haul. I did the false eyelashes thing just once, for a party, and it looked great. Apart from that I just told myself it's a 'look' like any other, and just tried to wear it well. (I'm pretty delusional to start with, so that worked ok for me.) Other times I thought, well I've exchanged hair loss (etc. etc.) for my life, and that helped me maintain perspective.

Go well,
Heather
hb
Member
13 years ago
Hi Deanne, sounds like you've been having a rough time of it lately. I was just like you, thought I was going to escape losing lashes/brows, but then they dropped. And like you I found it unsettling not just in terms of appearance but as a functional problem, especially in cold weather. My eyes would stream, my nose would run (no nostril hairs, I guess--who knew they did so much work?). As you say, it's minor in the scheme of things, but still...

To the point: everyone's different (la la la, I got a bit tired of hearing that, even though it is true). For me the regrowth on my head was really quick (my hair started growing back even before I'd finished chemo -- 8 rounds); but agonisingly slow for eyelashes. Seriously, I reckon they're about nearly normal just now, and I finished chemo 18 months ago. So you could be in for a long haul. I did the false eyelashes thing just once, for a party, and it looked great. Apart from that I just told myself it's a 'look' like any other, and just tried to wear it well. (I'm pretty delusional to start with, so that worked ok for me.) Other times I thought, well I've exchanged hair loss (etc. etc.) for my life, and that helped me maintain perspective.

Go well,
Heather

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Eyelashes/brows going, going .....

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