Forum Discussion
hair return
I had the last chemo on 17th August and I am wonde ring when my hair will start growing back. I never lost it all completely just have a scattering of very fine hair but my scalp is well and truly visible. It doesnt seem to be even starting to grow again yet. How long is normal lbefore it starts to look like hair again. I find the wig I have looks lovely but gives me a headache before to long. Wouldn't mind so much but the new oncologist told me when he visited me in hospital while I was fighting infections brought on by the loss of imunity from chemo that I should never have been given chemo as it was not the right treatment for the type of cancer I have. Not happy Jan. Anywait can't undo what has been done so I would just like some feedback on the hair regrowth bit, Kester.
36 Replies
- Interesting, fortunately y hair did come back after Docetaxel albeit very curly rather than the dead straight it was. I will notify my oncologist of the 2%, just in case he hasn't see the literature on it.
:) I'm so pleased you drew it to the attention of at least one oncologist. Maybe it will result in some useful discussion and save another woman a lot of grief. I suspect that the research results they currently have saying 2% will be updated to a higher figure as more data comes through the channels.chibipink said:
I'm so sorry Katie. I was on FECD, D for Docetaxal, and when I found out 2%, that's one in 50!, of women don't get their hair back I flipped out in the oncologist's office. She told me she'd never heard of such a thing, just not true. The next dose I was back in her office with the research paper but she had looked it up herself. "Yeah, it's 2%", she said. When my hair came back she admitted that she had been worried. So at least there is now one oncoologist in Australia who knows the risks and hopefully is informing women before they start treatment.KatieT said:I'm very glad to hear yours came back. You can feel together and put that behind you.
My treatment was over 16 months ago. It isn't coming back properly. I hope that more women in the future get told that permanent hair loss is a risk of some chemotherapies. Everything on the internet and everything they tell you at hospitals makes you think it's temporary and just something you need to survive and then you go back to being yourself again.
Anyway, I'm really glad things returned to normal for you in the hair department.- Your website says
"Yes. The good news is that hair loss from chemotherapy is only temporary and your hair will grow back once your treatment is finished. Approximately six weeks after your final treatment, you will have grown a short but thick covering of hair over your entire scalp. - See more at: https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/chemotherapy/hair-loss/#sthash.4lAxnZdr.dpuf"
That statement needs a caveat in order not to be misleading. - But Pauline, it may be rare when you consider every woman who has had chemotherapy, but when you take just those that have received docetaxal, it is not.
https://www.schmidtandclark.com/wp-content/uploads/Alopecia-FECdoce-Kluger-AnnOnco2012.pdf
http://journals.lww.com/amjdermatopathology/Abstract/2011/06000/Permanent_Alopecia_After_Systemic_Chemotherapy__A.3.aspx
and therefore any patient being offered docetaxal should be warned of this risk beforehand. I for one, would not have taken it if I'd known in advance.
It looks like the lawyers in the US are getting very excited at the prospect of the class actions they are going tomilkundertake. In Europe, apparently, the label for the drug has warned of the possibility of permanent hair loss for a decade, but in Australia, even the Policy Officers of the most important breast cancer advocacy group are denying it. - Hi @chibipink. I'm with the policy team. Prolonged or permanent hair loss from chemotherapy drugs is very rare. It has been reported in a very small number of cases around the world. We encourage women who have any concerns about hair loss from chemotherapy to speak with their medical oncologist. We have put an update on this in our website information on hair loss here: https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/chemotherapy/hair-loss/
Our hair loss fact sheet also has a list of common combinations of chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer, along with their likely effect on your hair. https://www.bcna.org.au/media/2137/bcna-fact-sheet-hair-loss-during-breastcancer-treatment.pdf
I hope this helps.
If you have any further queries or comments, please feel free to get in touch.
Best wishes
Pauline McLoughlin
Senior Policy Officer, BCNA - @Ne omgosh so nice! I have my fingers crossed haha :heart:
- Love seeing all your photos!! I finished my last round of chemo, Paclitaxel and Carboplatin, on Oct 14. Before that I was on Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide and I had a six week break between the first and second to have my baby. My hair started to grow during the break but I lost it all again when chemo resumed. I've just led to get some fuzz on my head and I've noticed my eyebrows starting to slowly grow but my eyebrows have grown so much in the last week! I'm so excited!! I've started taking a Hair, Skin and Nails vitamin to see if that helps. I'll wear a cap for a while yet as I don't feel too confident just yet. Can't wait to see more growth!!
- Thanks. I sent a mail via the contact form too, before I read your comment. Hope I haven't caused confusion. :)
- @chibipink I have passed on your comments and concerns to our policy team.
- This would be the sort of thing BCNA could take up right? Requiring oncologists to inform women of the risk of docetaxal, or getting it put in the cancer council pamphlets?
