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Nadi's avatar
Nadi
Member
9 years ago

How long do chemo curls last?

Hi all, if there was one good thing about going through chemo, for me it was getting chemo curls. I am very lucky in that my hair was very fine and straight before and hung limp with no body in it whatsoever. Now I have so much curl that my sons jokingly call me "Annie". It is so easy to manage. I was devastated in the past when I lost my hair to alopecia after my youngest son was born and so was worried it might not grow back at all again after chemo, but I am fortunate that it did. I know this is not the case for everyone.  It took over 2 years for me to get my hair back after alopecia. The photo was taken today. Hair came back in April. Last docetaxal was 22 Feb 2016. I still haven't had it cut. You can see my eyebrows are still thin and I recently lost all my upper eyelashes again - don't know why. They just got weak and when I rubbed my eyes they fell out. I think they are growing again though. Wish chemo could have done something about my freckles! 

Just wondering, for those of you who got the chemo curls, how long does it last? Did your hair straighten again? 


chemotherapy

5 Replies

  • primek's avatar
    primek
    Member
    9 years ago
    Hair looks great. Mine is becoming very curly now (4 months on ) and is silver. I'm  not sure whether to grow it or keep it cut. Just keeping it tidy. I had mine cut about 6 weeks to shape the back and give time for the really short bits to catch up.
  • Karen_T's avatar
    Karen_T
    Member
    9 years ago
    I only got chemo curls to the bottom half of my head so had a wavy mullet while my hair grew out.  Think it lasted just a bit over a year and I had to keep getting the mullet chopped. I am two years out and as dead straight as before chemo.
    I have also found my eyelashes fall out a little easier still but hasnt caused any troubles. I just try not to rub my eyes!
    All the best with yours @Nadi - If you love the curls I hope they stay and if not I hope they grow out. Good luck!
  • Michelle_R's avatar
    Michelle_R
    Member
    9 years ago
    Yes, it did.  It took the best part of a year though.  I had the hairdresser cut out the curl every 4 weeks, and used gel after shampooing  until it dried, then brushed it out.  Curls suit you.  Sadly they didn't suit me.
  • Afraser's avatar
    Afraser
    Member
    9 years ago
    Sorry lost the end of that comment. About 2 years ago I started losing a bit of hair (unusual amount on my hairbrush) and panicked initially. Lots of tests showed nothing amiss but other conversations on this site show that a very small percentage don't get decent regrowth. I think the damage can be quite profound, may take a long time to settle, and that old shedding and regrowth patterns may change. So my advice is treat your hair very gently until all the impact is recovered, which may be a few years.
  • Afraser's avatar
    Afraser
    Member
    9 years ago
    My hair was intensely frizzy when it regrew and gradually straightened, took at least a year and it's still got a bit of curl (nearly 3 years on) - much more than it used to, but I like it. Curls I could handle, as you say easy to manage, but the degree of frizz wasn't so good