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jd48's avatar
jd48
Member
9 years ago

How long does it take for hair to fall out on AC Chemo once it starts shedding

Hi girls

I am on day 19 of AC chemo and while i have had some hair loss since day 11 it has finally started to shed seriously today and especially tonight. I was hoping someone could help advise me how long it really takes for the hair to fall out once it starts going like this as I am finding the scalp really irritated and painfull any time my remaining hair is touched and am being driven nuts by the hairs that are falling into my eyes on my face and neck - plus the neck and shoulders are SO itchy with all those small hairs in the clothing (I had cut it into crew cut over a week ago)

Also is there anything I should know or watch out for in this stage? do I have to have a sleeping cap or is it OK not to wear any headwear to bed?

And has anything changed in the way one needs to care for their head / scalp during this shedding period or when the hair is completely gone?

Sorry about 101 question but just hoping not to do something stupid and complicate my life even more as with all my sideeffects and newly acquired UTI I have enough challenges so hoping heavy hairloss could go trouble free - for once.

This photo is what I have managed to 'shake off' my head in under 2 min post washing my hair. Once I cleaned it off I did another 2 rounds to shaking and rubbing the hairs off my head resulting in probably 4 times as many falling out each time but there is still heaps left and is driving me insane as nothing comes off in the shower - I literaly have to rub it off my head to get rid off it (so it would not be itchy)

Thank you in advance

Jel.

12 Replies

  • Jel, I cut my hair short (had long curly hair) but couldn't stand the hair all over the place so I shaved it to a no. 2 and wore bandannas and fedora hats.  Not all my hair fell I did have bald patches here and there, I got an organic conditioner and conditioned the scalp.

  • I never got itchy at all. I did get a buzz cut down to half inch or so and then a quarter inch so not as much bulk of hair fell. Mine was still falling out the little that was left a few weeks after chemo had ended.