hair questions

[valleygirl]

Next week will be my last taxol treatment and I will begin the weekly herceptin. My daughter is getting married in August and me with no hair. I really wish she'd wait till I have hair, LOL. I lost my eyelashes and eyebrows too. My question is will my hair start to grow back when receiving just herceptin? I also wanted to know if anyone has tried
SmartLash Eyelash Enhancer and if it worked? I have purchased several wigs but really hate the way they look and feel and normally just wear a hat. I'm going to start wearing them in hope of getting used to the way I look in them. Thanks for all the help, you guys always have an answer for me.

[Jackie07]

Valleygirl,

Congratulations on reaching another milestone!

I don't have much experience with makeups, but I'd recommend you to find a small silk handkerchief as a cushion between your scalp and the wig. I used it in 2007 while working full-time and undergoing chemo/Herceptin. I would wear a hat/cap when I go shopping/getting treatment/visiting with friends. [And stay 'bald' while at home. ]

[NanaJoni]

Valleygirl - I add my congratulations on hitting such a wonderful milestone. As for the hair...when I stopped TCH and continued on Herceptin only, my hair started growing immediately. Unfortunately for me, my eyelashes fell out three times while I was on the Herceptin before finally coming in permanently. It took about 6 months before I was comfortable with my hair and no hat or wig. Lucky for you, hats for wedding are extremely fashionable, especially for the Mother of the Bride. So find a drop-dead great hat (or maybe two or three for all the different festivities) and enjoy that wedding.

[Deb33]

It seemed to take 4 - 6 weeks for my hair to begin growing back. August is around the corner - you may want to have a backup plan in case your hair isn't quite the way you want it yet. The good news is it will start growing in and won't quit. In a few months you will have quite a bit to play with. My lashes and eyebrows did fall out while my hair was growing in but it seemed the new ones came in quickly. However your hair looks during the wedding - you will feel blessed to be part of things. That's the beauty of this journey - we begin to understand what is really important.

[rhondalea]

Your hair will definitely start growing, and by August, you'll probably have the equivalent of a stylish buzz cut. (I love mine, and I'm keeping it short.)

SmartLash did seem to work for me--faster and thicker growth than I'd have expected otherwise--but I've stopped using it because after the lashes came back, I didn't have the same incentive to be religious about the application.

I have a subscription for it at DermStore that is currently on hold, but I was slow about stopping the deliveries and each tube lasts much longer than claimed, so I have some unopened packages to spare. If you PM your address, I can stick a tube into the mail to you on Tuesday, and you can give it a whirl before deciding whether it's worth buying. (And if you do decide to continue to use it, I have a link that will allow you to get it at the discounted price.) You can also use it on your eyebrows. (I didn't need it there, because I splurged on eyebrow tats before chemo.)

[chemteach]

You'll have a good start by August. I think everyone is different though. My hair really started growing well about two months after the final taxotere carboplatin treatment. I'm still on Herceptin, and I did notice that my eyelashes have thinned out again. It's summertime now, and I probably won't wear any makeup until school starts back up in August so my eyelashes might recuperate. I have never had curly hair in my life, but wow!! I have super curly hair and love the short hairstyle. How easy is this!!

[sarah]

Hello,
congrats on ending Taxol. I don't think your hair will be back fully by august and even if it is, it may be an odd color until it "settles" down. Joni suggestion for a drop dead hat sounds like a good one. Even as a guest, when I go to a wedding I like to wear a great hat with lots of flowers.
Isn't it wonderful that you've made it through chemo and have time to recover from it in time to see your daughter married.
I am certain your happiness for her will make you look radiant.
Everyone at weddings look good and the atmosphere can't be beat for the love, romance, hope and happiness.
Have a great day.
love sarah

[rhondalea]

Ah, Sarah, I hadn't thought about the color. I dyed mine as soon as I had an even, albeit, microscopic layer. Then it was buzz/color/buzz/color until I decided I'd go ahead and give the gray (actually a nice shade of silver) a whirl. The last time I had it cut was about two months ago, and it has grown enough to drive me crazy, so I'm about to have it buzzed again.

[suzan w]

I vote for the hat!!! I think a wig would be uncomfortable...

[Gerri]

It took several months after chemo before I went without a wig; my hair was still quite short and super curly. I lost my eyelashes 3 times before they decided to stay put. If your hair isn't quite where you want it to be, I think a stylish hat, beautiful jewelry and having your make-up professionally done will do the trick. You still have a few months to shop before the big day. I am sure you will find the perfect dress and accessories - don't forget a fabulous pair of shoes :-)

Best of luck!!

[Cannon]

My son's bar mitzvah was after taxol, during herceptin, and I was determined to look fabulous. I was not happy with the wig I had, so I went and spent more on a more expensive one I was very happy with. I also made an appointment with a makeup person, who sprayed my face and arms so complexion didn't look white or blotchy, and she put on fake eyelashes for the day, and touched up eyebrows, etc. It made all the difference for me - and I still love the photos of me from that day. No matter what you do, ENJOY!

[Pray]

I used a cooling cap under my wig and it was very comfortable!

[lshill929]

I agree with NanaJoni, you can easily find a fashionable hat for the event for yourself. You don’t need to worry at all.

[CoolBreeze]

My hair grew back pretty quickly when I lost it with Taxol. My final tx (that time) was at the end of March. By July 4th I actually had stylish short hair with bangs and everything.

I couldn't stand a wig either.

I used Latisse on lashes, which works very well. It also prevents your eyelashes from growing in and falling out and growing in again, like it does for most women. With latisse, the cycle is interrupted. I would imagine that the eyelash product you are discussing does the same.

I'm on Abraxane now. 90% of women lose their hair on it and I have - but only half! It's weird. My formerly thick hair is very thin hair and it won't grow but there is still enough so that I can pass - it has fallen out pretty evenly. I wear a wide headband to cover the balding areas and keep the bangs on my temples (male pattern baldness) and keep it in place and nobody knows. It's been months so maybe I won't lose it, although it still comes out but never in big chunks like it did before. I don't know why because Abraxane and Taxol are the same drug!

I have a wedding in June too. This is my dress. I need to find something for my head that looks stylish but not a hat, that would look silly.

[Mtngrl]

My hair didn't quite all fall out from Taxol/Abraxane, but it got very, very thin. (Think Golem in the "Lord of the Rings" movies.) I stopped chemo at the end of August. I think my hair reached its skimpiest at about the end of September. By Christmas I had a decent-looking buzz cut, though I went out hatless/wigless a few times in November with super-short, kind of thin hair. Now (as you can see) it's thick and curly.

The eyelashes were interesting. They came in pretty quickly, but they were really short, and instead of having tapered ends like normal eyelashes they looked like they had been trimmed with scissors. Those pseudo-lashes fell out a few at a time, and the "real" ones came in behind them. They might be a little thinner than before.

I like the idea of professional makeup including false lashes if you need them for the wedding.

[Becky]

When I had chemo, my last session was the end of January and I had a short pixie by Memorial Day (with 2 shaping haircuts). My lashes did the fall out/grow back thing a couple of times. However, in the grow phase they grew really long.

[Vicki revised]

My hair grew back quickly while still on Herceptin, after TCH, and it grew back very thick and darker than my real (Redken) color. Lashes fell out again after but grew back like my original lashes, not the weird bent ones that grew back after 1st loss. Oh, and leg hair was the 1st to grow back and lots of it. What is fair about that?

I think having a pro do your makeup is an excellent idea! I had mine done before Abraxane and I felt pretty for the first time in a long time and she adjusted my colors.

[Kellennea]

Mine also grew back right away after TCH. This past march put me a year out from chemo. Ive had three hair cuts and my hair is now just starting to curl up where my neck and shoulders meet. Im just at the point where I complain about my hair... my husband reminds me that I promised never to do that again when I was bald

[hutchibk]

As a hairdresser who has lost hair 3 times now, try NIOXIN follicle booster. It is not a panacea, but using it morning and night did help my hair on my head grow back a little faster. (it grew in to a survivable length about 2 months faster than without it.)

[Kellennea]

I used Ovation Hair Therapy and then when I had about 2" of hair, I used the Bosley System - also a hairstylist - which I believed helped a bunch. I just ordered more Ovation, to hopefully help thicken my hair up