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How long did it take for your hair to be back to normal? By August all my hair was gone, now (Jan. 2009) it is about 1 1/2 to 2 " long?
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Hair
- By scc
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 10:56 am · 31 replies
- In Side effects of treatment
- Shared with the public
31 replies
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- Newest first
- By Jennali
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 11:46 am
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I think your hair growth sounds just perfect. Mine started growing back late May '08. It is now about 3 1/2 inches long. It took a couple of months before it was totally full again. I can actually use a towel on it now after my shower!
I think you are right on schedule. Isn't it nice to have some back?! I am still thrilled every time I look in the mirror. (This from a woman who swore she would never have short hair and never quit dying her white hair. Now I have both and I love it.)
- By jeaniet
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 12:11 pm
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My last chemo was June 23rd. My eyebrows and lashes were back by September. I now have about 2 inches of hair. It is kind of curly/wavy. Against advice that I read here, I am already coloring it. Blonde is back baby!
Jeanie
- By FavoriteAunt
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 12:18 pm
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Sounds about right. It will all be back before you know it, so enjoy every little bit!
- By laughingnikki
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 12:57 pm
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I finished chemo mid September 07 and the pic you see of me was taken March 31, 08. However, it's REALLY REALLY curly!
So, it seems like you are right on track....
YEAAHH FOR HAIR!!
Happy styling! Talk to you hair dresser about when you should come into have it shaped, that's important for graceful growing.
n
- By scc
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 1:07 pm
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Mine is really, really curly too. It was before I lost it all so I am suprised that it is coming in curly again. My hair looks like a white version of Robin Roberts on GMA ! That's fine by me, I love her. I have had it trimmed so I look like I have an actual style. It's so funny, people think I choose this hair cut !!!
- By momanderson920
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 2:16 pm
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I am curious, does it ever get straight again? I had very slightly wavy hair but now have the real tight curly all over. I just wondered does it ever go back to normal again. I had my last chemo July 14, 08 and now have about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of curly hair all over. After no hair, it is an improvement, I guess, but I do get strange looks. I have a very young looking husband and I look like his older sister or mother....I feel like people look at the two of us and think "what does he see in her?". At least bald, people figured I was sick. Now they just think I am weird looking. I don't know if I like having hair or not. The jury is out on that. I hate wigs and I can't get by with the ball cap anymore so I go au naturel.
- By Jill13
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 3:00 pm
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I ended treatment in December 2007 -- it didn't really start growing back until the end of January 2008 and now it is 5-6 inches long. It was very naturally curly before and is like an afro now but it is better than being bald. It used to be red and has come in dark, dark brown -- the strange thing is that the texture has changed too.
- By Fireball
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 8:18 pm
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Just curious. How many treatments does it take to make your hair fall out?
- By Jennali
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 8:24 pm
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After Taxol, figure on seeing clumps coming out with your hair brush around the 10 day to 2 week mark. Mine came out and thinned over a period of time, and I wasn't willing to just shave it off or cut it off. I had to wait until I was ready, which took a couple extra weeks. Some women prefer to just get it over with. I say do what feels right to you.
- By youngmom
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 8:33 pm
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I finished chemo in April 08, and by the end of June I went wigless ( it was very short, but I still felt it was long enough to look OK ). Since then I have had it cut and styled twice. I would really like to get it at least shoulder length again, because after I get it cut and it grows out, it doesn't look too good. I always had curly hair, but when it was long, it was manageable. Right now it comes just below my ears and is very curly
( almost Afro ! ). I had been hightlighting my hair for so many years, and then had a wig with a blonde highlights, so it has taken me some time to adjust to brown hair ( with some gray highlights ! ). But I do like not having to worry aboput dark roots anymore !
- By Fireball
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 8:41 pm
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Beautiful ladies I'm so sorry. I honestly don't know how I would handle it. Things aren't over for me so I will just have to go with the roll. I was watching QVC one morning and a caller said she had gone through chemo and is using Ojon restoritive treatment on her hair and was happy with it. I got a sample at Christmas. My hair is very fine to begin with it seemed to make my hair stronger. The problem with it is that it's pricey. Oh and the smell. It's different.
- By Fireball
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 8:44 pm
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Has anyone tried a flat iron on their hair to straighten the curls?
- By zircons
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 10:06 pm
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Mine was curly until I had a haircut. Now it is back to normal - fine and straight.
- By momanderson920
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 10:08 pm
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My hair fell out two weeks to the day after my first treatment of Taxol/carboplatinum. I hear that is pretty standard.
- By kmarienap
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 4:35 am
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Mine also took a couple of months to really look like hair. I loved this 1 wig I had and I think I had separation anxiety over it when I finally gave it up! A friend of mine said it was time to either keep my head shaved or give up the wig! My hair was always wavy and seemed to stay that way when it grew back for acout 2 yrs. Now it is practically straight. I looked like a skunk when it grew in so I did color it and have highlights put in. The funny thing is that over time, my natural color returned (brown), but with more gray than before.
- By bevl
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 9:10 am
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I had my first chemo exactly one week ago. I got a quarter-inch buzz cut to get ready (not that big of a change for me; I usually wear my hair about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch long anyway). I'm seeing a few hairs on my pillow now, but nothing significant, so I guess my hair will start falling out big time in the next few days. For people with straight hair, after your hair came back curly how long did it take to go back to normal?
--BevL
- By Barbann
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 9:14 am
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My chemo ended on 6/08 and as of today my hair has grown about 2 inches since then. My hair is also much thinner than it was pre-chemo.
- By Jill13
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 11:22 am
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I had Bleomycin, Etoposide and Cisplatin -- began treatment on 10/8/07 and my hair started getting thin after 2 weeks and then completely fell out in clumps on Halloween.
The thing I forgot to mention...it has come back in much thicker than it was. I always had a ton of hair but now it is unbearably thick -- it reminds me of a thick Burbur (sp) carpet.
- By OldieLocks
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 11:45 am
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Jill13, mine was enourmously thick also, but was pretty. I am starting back on chemo in two months and the oncologist said I will lose my hair again. I'm wondering if it will be the same experience I had last time or something different.
I still have my hats and wig so I'll just 'go with the flow'. The best I remember, it takes three or four months for it to come back and look decent. I'm going to a "Look good, Feel good" program next week, so maybe I can learn to draw on eyebrows. ha
Everyone looks better bald than they think they will. You will get lots of compliments on your short hair.
God bless every one of you going through this.
Rachel
- By mixy
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 9:43 pm
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I got impatient for my hair to grow long enough. I found a hairdresser who did a straightener as well as extensions. I felt like a new person.
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