Hair is back, but too much!: My hair is slowly... - My Ovacome

My Ovacome

18,248 members20,377 posts

Hair is back, but too much!

FlowerRose profile image
28 Replies

My hair is slowly starting to come back to life after finishing chemo - eyelashes and eyebrows all slowly returning too, so yay! What I cannot say Yay to, however, is how much hair is growing on my face!! Luckily it's still light colored and only visible in the sunshine, but dang! Very fuzzy! Did anyone else have this problem and if so, what did you do about it?

Written by
FlowerRose profile image
FlowerRose
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
28 Replies
BanksiaRose profile image
BanksiaRose

😂yes, me too! I had to run over it with an electric lady shaver. After that it seemed to settle down.

27-359 profile image
27-359

Yes, I had this. I held off from shaving as I was afraid of stubble, and after a few weeks it went!

Jenny

BellmoreBelle profile image
BellmoreBelle

I left it, wondering if itwas visible to anybody else... it in the end, as Janny said, it went away of its own accord.

Yes I had this after carbo/taxol - I looked like father Christmas (to me anyway) my cousin recommended threading, we found a beautician in our local shopping centre. It was very quick and very nearly painless, she also shaped my new eyebrows.

Cazbird profile image
Cazbird

I did too but it settled down after a while. X

SUE7777 profile image
SUE7777

I'm in agreement with all you say, I noticed last week I have down on my face but have buried my head in the sand about it as it is light and down. My eyebrows are fully back and have been showing them off also eyelashes nearly there which is quick as they were the last things to go and I read it takes 4 to 6 months for them to come back which isn't true. My head feels like a teddy at the moment. When I saw your post I expected it to be head hair. Sorry not much help but would be interested if you find a 'cure', I looked at hair removing creams but decided against it. Don't shave! Sue

Mumsie13 profile image
Mumsie13 in reply toSUE7777

Four to eight weeks for eye lashes. If it took four to six months we'd never have any eyelashes ☺️ Jackie x

SUE7777 profile image
SUE7777 in reply toMumsie13

Yes mine were bang on the money, wish the head hair would get a move on it's a bit uneven. The sides are not growing that well. Sue X

Mumsie13 profile image
Mumsie13 in reply toSUE7777

I had the cold cap for part of my treatment but it got unbearable when the hair on top of my head got very thin - almost like a tonsure. I had it all clippered on a high setting (my hairdresser said I really had a good shaped head) and it grew back quite thick. It was even quite liberating - no blow drying for ages and.being the summer of 2018 it was really cool in both senses of the word. When it grew out it went quite wavy but that was just me, each to our own. Cheers, Jackie x

SUE7777 profile image
SUE7777 in reply toMumsie13

I had the cold cap for 3 sessions but I was told if I had it again it could damage the hair follicles so I didn't and it really fell out badly after that. I was locked down at the time so had to sort it out myself as I live alone, I cut it short and shaved it with my lady shave after chemo 5. What a mess! Sue x

Mumsie13 profile image
Mumsie13 in reply toSUE7777

Just spotted your reply Sue. Yes I also got the feeling that might be the case. The things we have to do to keep ourselves together with this wretched Covid virus. I'm sure you thought it looked worse than it actually did. I also bought a pretty collection of turbans and scarves which I had great fun choosing on line. I got quite creative with these when I needed a boost. Of course, I wasn't in the middle of a pandemic at the time. Sending lots of hugs and vibes to make your hair grow better. Jackie x

Solange profile image
Solange

Yes, I had the same problem. I was a proper Father Christmas in one lights. I didn't do anything about it ( apart from worry!!) and one day I looked in the mirror and realised it was all gone. Super relief.... hope yours does the same.

Love, Solange😊

Cropcrop profile image
Cropcrop

I had this too, I think it’s possibly a bit like the soft down some babies have all over their bodies when they’re first born. Theirs just goes and yours will too, it’s just new hair because your hair follicles have woken back up post chemo. ❤️Xx Jane

Birdsong222 profile image
Birdsong222

Like all the other ladies, l too had the "peach hair" along my jaw line and yes it disappeared after a couple of months. My main issue was because the eye lashes all came together they kept shedding at the same time, leaving me with very sparse lashes every six weeks or so and was 4-5 months before this stopped. Good luck. X

bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89

Blimey! I've always had loads of fine, downy hair on my face (often called 'peach fuzz') worse at the sides heading towards the ears and as I've got older, its got finer but longer. Well, apart from the ones that have turned into black whiskers, oh deep joy, such a delight this ageing lark...

Sounds like yours is a temporary reaction as growth begins following chemotherapy and it will disappear, but if you think its a bit much or its a bit long, I recommend one of those sideburn trimmers, like men might use, a battery one will do. Just run it over, trimming upwards - it will take off the length and leave it shorter. It won't make it grow thicker...but it will stop it being noticeable in sunlight...

Miriam

Mumsie13 profile image
Mumsie13 in reply tobamboo89

With you there girl. Been there, done that, shredded the t shirt 😆. My daughter's were like 'what the heck' when I freaked out at finding long chin hairs during my very extended stay in hospital. They were both laughing when I insisted on an emergency tweezering session, that is until I pointed out this was something they had to look forward to. 🤗 Jackie x

bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89 in reply toMumsie13

Oh yea, I'd forgotten that - I was in hospital for 10 days when I had my debulking done, and now I recall, after the morphine and other drugs wore off, running my hand along my jawline on day 7 and thinking,it feels like a soft fur coat but with lots of spiky bits. And that when I fished out the sideburn trimmer and used it, two of the older nurses came over to see what I was using, since they had the same problem... but it doesn't get rid of the bristly ones, just cuts 'em short, and I couldn't see clearly enough in hospital to tweezer those. Spent the first morning home tweezering away...🤔🤗

delia2 profile image
delia2

Hi. I had it too. I used a home waxing kit to remove it and it never returned. It was quite a shock when I first discovered it!

Lind58 profile image
Lind58

My mom had the same issue after chemo - She had it waxes 2-3 times and thank thankfully no issue since. Best feeling seeing your hair come back, on the road to recovery!

Lizzieanne profile image
Lizzieanne

This happened to me apparently quite common when i spoke to a specialist hair remover. I admit to shaving it off just like fluff. I was in remission for18 years it did settle but did still shave it off occasionally. Just starting chemo again so expect this will happen again. Whether one of those home hair removal tools like the No No wld work. It didnt bother me in the end just shaved it as make up looked much better.

This is really strange FlowerRose. I lost quite a lot my hair whilst having carbo/caelyx which finished last February. I'm on Rucaparib now and finding a little of my hair growing back but the hair on my hands and arms is noticeably sticking up and darker than normal. I was afraid I was turning into a werewolf. Maybe it's something in the Rucaparib. Anyone have the answer?

Angela xx

bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89 in reply toGemimablackvelvet

Sounds delightful - I'm supposed to start Rucaparib in 5 weeks, will let you know if that happens to me, though it has to be said I'm quite hairy anyway....last thing I need is for that to get worse.

Miriam

Gemimablackvelvet profile image
Gemimablackvelvet in reply tobamboo89

Hi Miriam, I don't really think it's actually more hair it just shows up more because it's standing up. I was exaggerating a little perhaps. Don't even know if it is Rucaparib causing it. It certainly isn't one of the side effects mentioned.

Love Angela xx

bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89 in reply toGemimablackvelvet

How odd that its standing up - I know rucaparab affects the skin, makes it more sensitive, but that shouldn't make the hair or the hair follicles stand to attention... or maybe it does. I shall watch for that later...

rosebine profile image
rosebine

I too have the dark stubble, and my legs are terribly hairy with dark wiry hairs. Just as well Im always in jeans. May be too much info but hair in "other places" come back thick and black when it was grey before !

LesleyGB profile image
LesleyGB

I was off Chemo for 4 weeks waiting for my operation (now done) and during that time my hair has grown back really quickly (it always did grow fast!). I have found that, while the hair on my head is lovely and soft and spiky, I am getting really thick black hairs on one side of my top lip and a few on my nose! Nowhere else at the moment and I restart chemo in 10 days so presume it will all go again. Oh and the way my eyebrows are growing I will end up like Dennis Healey! x

Mammi profile image
Mammi in reply toLesleyGB

Same but I was on Cabo/taxol , buy a little battery lipstick face /eyebrow shaver , brill!

Mammi profile image
Mammi

Ha ha so lovely reading all the comments about facial down.was horrified when the sun shining in the mirror revealed a face full of fur! I rushed out & bought one of those lipstick size dual eyebrow & face de fizzier...well worth the £15 , my new best friend 🤗 eyelashes were the last to go & first to come back 👍funny how such a simple thing makes you feel like a woman again ☺️

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

My hair journey......

I haven't had short hair since I was 21, but I decided to have one last salon experience before my...
Madz profile image

Hair Loss

Ifinished chemo eighteen months ago, and subsequently lost my hair. It has grown back well since...
27-359 profile image

Hats off hair coming back.

On a good note, my hat is gone and hair coming back after 2nd line chemo finished in June. It...

Hair Loss

Hi I had Taxol and lost all my hair, all my brows, all my bottom lashes and have a few lashes on...
coksd profile image

GemCarbo (+MVasti) hair loss?

Friday 10/28 was day one of cycle two of this new regimen for me. It's my third round/line of...
TxEm profile image

Moderation team

See all

Top community tags

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.