I had docetaxel as part of my chemo and did lose my hair but not all of it. I initially got it cut short a week before chemo and it started to come out around day 17 (3 days after second cycle) it didn’t come out in clumps although I know that can happen, it was just lots of strands as I’d brush it and it was all over my pillow and I felt more bothered about waiting for it to go than anything else. So a few days later I shaved it, it wasn’t traumatic and I was glad to be free, however in hindsight I wish I’d got a cropped pixie cut and just seen how thin it went, it stopped falling out after 3rd cycle.
I’m 6 weeks post chemo and it’s growing, but silvery and fluffy. I’m having more chemo February/March and I’m not going to shave unless I really have to.
Hi. Yes that's the one I'm having. Docetaxel. The hair loss is not a massive issue to me but I dont think I can cope with the feeling of it thinning slowly. Hence why I'm considering shaving. I'm told it could start to go as soon as 2 weeks after 1st treatment. I thought of shaving before i start as I'm worried I might not feel up to it after treatment starts.
Yes I had mine cropped a week later it started coming out so had it shaved. So I would go straight to shave and get used to hats scarves wig egg more comfy and gives some control in an area you have very little
Have you discussed using a cold cap with your cancer team? I had my first chemo for Inflammatory Breast Cancer on Thursday and tried it. It is not a pleasant experience - you wear a cap which freezes you scalp to about -3 centigrade and the theory is that it closes the capillaries so no chemo drug gets to your scalp (where it’s not needed) and thus reduces the risk of hair loss. I have been told it has a 70-80% chance of preventing total hair loss. I may still get some thinning.
I won’t lie, it is a horrible experience but more tolerable if you take painkillers. You have it on for half an hour before treatment, during the infusion of the chemo and then for up to 90 minutes afterwards. I hope it’s worth the pain!
Hi yes I was offered the cold cap but I dont want to through any more pain than I have to tbh. The thought of losing my hair is not as traumatic to me as it may be to others so I'm happy to crop/shave. I hope it works for you though. X
I'm new on this cancer chat. I was using the cold cap on my first chemo, which was not too bad and I didn't loss much hair, except had a bad experience of headache for a few days afterward.
However, on my 2nd chemo last Friday gone and I loss lot of hair the next few days. It seems the cold cap is not working for me. I seem to coping well with the sign affect, however I'm not coping well with the loss hair. Therefore, I guess it is best for me to shave off my hair and that will be one less worry for me. Using the new wig for the time being.
This is all new to me since learned that I had a breast cancer in Sept this year. Today, I contact my local hair salon but they don't have this service - shave off my hair and request a trim on my new wig. I would be appreciated if you would give me some direction how to do it and where to find the shop that can trim my new wig?
