When will be hair re-grow?

[K0717]

Hi all, I am 5 weeks post my last chemo and I have started to get what I call ‘fluff’ rather than hair regrow this. It’s thicker on the sides but very sparse up top. Is this normal and roughly how long have people wait until they have hair regrowth that looks like normal short hair?

[biddenden_sue]

Mine came back white and fluffy (having been mid-brown), and was finally thick enough to manage after about 4 months. It took a few more months for the colour to grow back into it. You can buy a special shampoo that speeds the process up but I couldn't afford it. It's about £25 a bottle from memory, but many people have said it works.

[Lainey66]

Hi there. I shaved the "fluff" off three if four times, on the advice of the hairdresser, as it strengthens and thickens the hair. It took a while but it is fine. I am glad I did this as otherwise your hair can remain thin and whispy.

[K0717 in reply to Lainey66]

Thanks Lainey for the advice, was just worried if it will thicken up and also it’s completely white kx

[Lainey66 in reply to K0717]

Lol so is mine - i look more like my Dad's sister than his daughter now 😂😂

[Linkj]

Hi, I finished chemo the end of August and really worried as white fluff on sides and bald on top, looked like an old man, the top took a while but I gave up the hats at the beginning of January. My hairdresser trimmed the wispy bits, sides and back which helped and I now have very short, slightly fuzzy grey/white elfin look. I don’t mind the white/grey as I had taken a year to grow my colour out before losing my hair and loved my grey hair, it suited my now colouring that has come with age, I am 64. I met lots of new people at the end of January, I am training as an assistant guide at Canterbury Cathedral and absolutely loving it. The others on the group thought my hair was a bold hair choice and none of them thought it was cancer. I found losing my hair so hard, I looked like a cancer patient and although I still wear lots of hats as my head gets cold, I love having hair. You will get there

Lin x

[K0717 in reply to Linkj]

Thanks Lin, sounds like I am not alone then. I am 52 so if it finally thickens up I might try one of those new steely grey colour enhancements. Good luck with your new role x

[carolinenailsea]

I thought I was odd in that my hair is growing back thicker on the sides but thin on the top! sounds like this is normal from the posts. I am 8 months post chemo and my hair is still pretty thin on top and generally whispy. It was always red (coloured it since I was 30) but now its grey white which I find slightly embarrasing when I meet old friends but I am sure my head is happy to be free or colouring now I am 60. My family tell me I didnt have hair until I was 2 years old so its no surprise its taking ages to come back. In the main tho I dont let it bother me. I still wear hats to keep warm - definitely hat weather this week. i havent quite worked out what colour to paint my eyebrows which have come back almost invisible. Best of luck with your recovery. caroline xx

[K0717]

Thanks Caroline, seems like this is quite normal then. Just want to lose the bald top part so that I don’t always have the cancer patient look.

[Debster2016]

Hi there KO717 My last chemo was 28 April2017 and I first noticed the sunlight behind my bumfluff sometime in May. I took my syrup 🤣🤣 off end of July but not in my home village until end of August when I - and everybody else bless them - pretended I had had “all my hair” cut off and had gone back to my roots! It was all a bit flat.

Now beginning March and so 7 months later I’ve got loads of curly hair.

I afraid refuse to get it cut because I am so attached to it and don’t apologise for,this 🤣 but maybe I’m ‘lucky’ haha in that it seems to be pretty thick but then I am only 51.

All the best to you enjoy the regrowth! Deb xx

[K0717 in reply to Debster2016]

Hi, thanks for your reply. My friends think it’s hysterical when I describe what’s currently up top as bum fluff. I guess it’s all going to take a bit more time than I thought and I too would be more than happy if it ever grew to be thick and curly and not want it cut as I am just 52 and wasn’t quite prepared for it to come through as white and thin. Time will tell. All the best to you, rock those curls x

[CancerkickerKathy]

My last chemo was May 2016. I think my hair is still a little thinner on top but my mom says I'm crazy. It came in much more gray and curly. To be honest I enjoyed the ease of being bald. My hairdresser just keeps trimming the sides and back as we wait for the top to catch up. You will get there.

[K0717 in reply to CancerkickerKathy]

Thanks Kathy, from the other replies it seems it’s quite common to be thinner on top to start with so I just need to be patient I guess and hope I’m not still wearing a hat in the summer (if we get one) x

[SuePS1958]

Hi there, my hair seemed to take much longer than most to grow back - I had the fluff trimmed several times and it definitely grew faster when I finished Herceptin. I didn't wear my wig much, mainly hats. Now its short and grey and looks much better than the shoulder length highlights I had before - fits much better with me at nearly 60. I've recently become aware of an additional choice re supporting hair loss which I wish I'd been aware of at the time. Lucinda Ellery has 5 uk and 2 usa specialist hair loss salons.

lucindaellery-hairloss.co.uk/

Ladies can make it all the way through chemo so no-one knows, and after when the hair comes back patchy or thinner the interlace extensions system helps give a thicker head of hair. Its a choice well worth people being aware of.