I'm wondering if any of you have been told by your oncologist not to dye your hair? Mine has said nothing but I wonder how good this is to continue. I wonder the same about using nail polish. It's full of formaldehyde and other nasty chemicals.
Thanks!
Red
Hi Red
I dye my hair...have extensions and have gel nails
There’s no reason not to...my cancer is fuelled by oestrogen and is metastatic...so looking nice makes me feel good...you’re not ingesting the formaldehyde or the chemicals in hair dye so how could it make any difference?
Barb xx
Thanks for the reply. I bet you look fabulous! I know we don't ingest these chemicals but the body does absorb them and some oncologists say they can contribute to cancer.
I need to dye my roots every month and want to make sure I'm giving myself the best possible chance to survive MBC. I know looking good is important and makes one feel good but I've also got a terrific new wig that actually looks better than my own hair. Gathering info at this stage so thanks again for your input. Much appreciated.
xx Red
Well maybe these chemicals are absorbed through the skin in small doses and maybe they have a very small role to play in cancer prevention....I’m mbc with extensive bone mets and a few liver mets so I’m incurable and I think it’s far too late to worry about this sort of thing...it can’t possibly make any difference to the outcome
I hope I never have to wear a wig but my hair is thinning more and I’m getting extensions again on Tuesday...hope there’s enough hair left to attach them to!!!.. I have a friend whose lost her hair through chemo and wears a wig and looks amazing ...you just can’t tell
Barb xx
My onc has never said anything and I have been stable on Ibrance / Letrozole for over 2 years . I have blonde highlights put in every few months ...maybe if you are worried about colour on your scalp , this is a half -way house , as the colour is in the foils and very little touches the scalp . I find the highlights give my fine hair a bit more depth and make me feel good! I am also the recent new owner of a Dyson supersonic hairdryer and I love that I can style my hair within a few minutes and it doesn’t feel as dry /frizzy as it used to (with a normal hairdryer). But do what makes you feel good , be it extensions, a wig ,colour or blow dry ! x
Hi, You made my day a little brighter reading 2 years and stable on Ibrance and Letrozole. I am 7 months in (Mets to lungs) You also have me thinking about hilights haha . Hugs to you 
Thanks for your reply. Great to hear about your stability for 2 years!
Thanks so much for your reply! I’m afraid my roots are so white I’ll either have to decide coloring doesn’t matter or give up my red hair. Thinking about it.
All best! Red
I’m not giving up my red hair! My roots are pretty white too. I would feel so much older if I had to quit dying my hair. It is not a pretty gray at all.
Hi Red71,
Understood!
I’ve not seen my white hair since I last had chemo therapy 10 years ago and it grew in. Not a pretty sight: white and tightly curled liked Ike a lamb.
I’ve been reluctant to give up my red hair too but recently tried on a silver/platinum wig that friends and husband really liked. I’ve no idea what color or texture mine will grow in so I’m still thinking about it.
Thanks for replying!
All best,
Red
You can get natural hair dye. I was only looking this up online yesterday
From all the research I have done to try and figure out why I got cancer I don't drink I don't smoke I'm not over weight all the top reasons they give for cancer and here I am. But I found carcinogens cause cancer. Well I'm quilty on all fronts there. Why because everything is a carcinogen . Deodorants hair dyes perfumes tooth paste makeup hand creams. Scented candles air fresheners ( anything that has a scent to it) dish soap bar soap cleaning products etc etc etc. So many foods we eat too one being any thing processed smoked and let me tell you if you read labels just about every thing is processed to some degree even when you buy FRESH fruits and vegetables they have chemicals on them you can wash them that helps but it's not fool proof . So this is why I chose not to go the route of eliminating things that cause cancer. I chose to just be aware of and take precautions. I eat everything in moderation. I try to buy unscented hand creams. I don't wear tons of makeup just enough to make me feel good. I wear gloves while cleaning with Clorox or Lysol etc. My point is if we eliminate everything that can cause cancer we might as well be ( well I think YOU get my drift) . So I say Take a breath (in actuality even that can cause cancer😀) Live life a quality life deal with things as they come and don't over think this disease. ENJOY TODAY DONT THINK ABOUT TOMORROW.
Agree re not overthinking and I am enjoying each and every day. I’m fortunate not to have any pain or terrible side effects from drugs (yet) so other than when my wbc count is low and I’m on “house arrest”, my life hasn’t changed considerably.
When diagnosed I decided not to let my fear get in the way of leading a good life and so far it’s working.
Thanks for your reply. 🙏🏻
I dye my hair as usual and have had no
Problems. Just make sure your colorist used a product that is very mild with no amonia.
Thanks - I will check with her re ammonia before I decide what to do next.
I recently changed to a natural hair dye. I get it from the Vitamin Shoppe. I like it so I’ll keep it. We all need to watch what we use. Just change over time slowly using more and more organic materials.😀 I also use a lot of products from Young Living. The truth is it’s not any one thing. It’s all the toxins we are bombarded with each and every day! 😢
Thank you and you’re right: I’m sure it’s not any one thing.
I've dyed my hair myself, gotten it highlighted by my hair lady, dyed by her, too. And here I am, about to celebrate 16 years with mbc (March 1). I never smoked, I drink a glass of wine or a beer occasionally, I've gained weight while on anti-estrogen drugs (letrozole, faslodex, exemestane). I have bone mets, "extensive" at time of diagnosis, but never any pain until recently. Had a bone scan yesterday, waiting for results. Eczema and spinal stenosis have given me alot more problems on a day to day basis than the cancer ever has, crazy as that sounds!
Good luck with your scan results! I pray they are stable or mets are gone!
Love,
Marianne
Thanks for your reply. Hope all well with scan results! 🙏🏻 Always a stressful period waiting for these.
PJBiMI - 16 years. Wow. That’s amazing. Thank you for sharing that. I really needed to hear that.
You're welcome! One reason I post here, and usually mention how long I have had this lousy rotten MBC, is that I remember how I felt when I first heard about some 20 year metavivors! And when I first attended a conference (MBCNetwork), there was a woman there who had been living with MBC for 30 years! I want to encourage others. The first year or two after I was diagnosed, I was pretty nervous about having this cancer, but I did get alot less worried and focus on living alot more now and not on dying!
Thank you so much for this post. It is indeed frightening when first hearing the dx. I remember the day vividly and thinking how little time I might have left.
I’m not sure how, but I did a “reframe” and decided I wasn’t going to let however many years I have left be ruined by fear of death. I’ve largely managed to lead a normal life except when I have neutropenia and am house bound. I’m one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have other, painful side effects from the drugs and I never take this for granted as I know it could all change tomorrow..
You’re an inspiration and so glad you’ve come to this site to share your success. Thank you! 🙏🏻🥰
Hope you get the results soon and they show stability! Thinking of you. 🙏🏻
Thanks! The scan report is in my patient portal this morning and it still leaves things up in the air. Maybe fracture, maybe not. And suggests an MRI! And the radiologist apparently does not know that I had two already and it was the second MRI that suggested the bone scan! LOL
I have dyed my hair and it is fine, dark nail polish protects nails from the sun
You might be thinking of a study that recently published results on this. I think it’s important to note that every participant in the study had a sister who had been diagnosed with breast cancer (it’s called a “sister study”), so it’s far more likely that the participants’ subsequent breast cancer diagnosis was a result of genetic predisposition, not hair dye. I’m one of the only women I know who does NOT color my hair, and yet I’ve been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at the age of 38. I did nothing wrong to cause my cancer. I unknowingly inherited a breast cancer gene (CHEK2). Researchers need to quit wasting time and money on these studies in which they try to blame us for our cancer and start looking for a cure instead.
Here’s the link to the study: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi....
I agree!
Thanks and yes, that is one study I’ve read.
Had heard others say it’s not good to use hair dye/nail polish but don’t remember source. Did seem reliable at the time.
As someone else on this platform said, so much is said to be carcinogenic, it’s hard to know what to believe, stop using etc.
I appreciate your reply! 🙏🏻
I agree with you. There’s so much information out there, much of it unproven, and it can make things very scary and confusing for those of us with incurable cancer. I think some people who DON’T have cancer want to believe that we’ve done this to ourselves and that they will be able to dodge the cancer bullet by eliminating all toxins. But that’s impossible.
And here’s my thinking...if hair dye and nail polish causes cancer, wouldn’t every hair stylist and nail technician have cancer? Thankfully, that’s not the case. This isn’t like cigarettes, where there’s a clear cancer link.
You should do whatever makes you feel good and healthy and strong, but try not to let all this information make you go crazy. You didn’t cause your breast cancer.
Thanks so much MJ,
Remarkably enough, what you say about hairdressers and manicurists hasn't occurred to me. It makes sense and I wonder what the statistics are on this.
You're right: I'm going to do what pleases me.
Have a great weekend!
Red
P. S. If you're from Michigan do you play Euchre?A friend of mine has taught it to me and we're addicted! ")
Omg, I absolutely LOVE Euchre!! I’m actually from Indiana, where Euchre is also a popular pastime, but I live in Michigan now!
I read your profile and see that you’ve lived an amazing, adventurous life! I lived abroad for about four years, teaching English as a second language, and before that I worked in publishing. We have a lot in common!
It's a terrific game! Too bad we can't play together. I haven't seen my friend who taught me in some time so miss it. Am trying to make up for it with Rummikub; not a card game but great fun imho.
How fun and educational for you to have lived abroad teaching EFL. Yes, we do have a lot in common! I'm glad I had the opportunity to live in Europe for so long and miss it. Do you? Where were you based?
Have a great weekend!
I do miss it terribly! I first taught in Osaka, Japan. Then I taught for a year in a small town in the south of Brazil. I came back to Indiana for a bit and reunited with an old flame. We then went together to La Coruña, Spain (in the province of Galicia) for two years. We traveled quite a bit in Europe while living there. We’ve been back for five and a half years, but I never stop missing it. I really miss the work/life balance of Europe. I’m just glad I went when I did.
Hope you have a great weekend too!
What a wonderful opportunity! Japan abd Brazil are on our bucket lists. I’m glad you had the experience as well.
I miss the quality of life in Europe and as you say the “work/life” balance.
I’ve worked since I was 21 and only retired at the age of 71, thinking I’d have more time for travel. And then this! I only hope my wbc count becomes stabilized so we can feel more comfortable leaving the country. We take road trips on occasion but I’d love to go back to Venice before it disappears! 😍
Oh my goodness, how devastating to have worked so hard, only to be thrown this terrible curveball when you retired! I hope you get many MANY more adventures in!
I was diagnosed last May, and I must admit I still feel like I’m in a nightmare. I wasn’t sick when I was diagnosed (just had a small lump in my breast), so it’s hard to grasp that it’s already game over before I even got a chance to fight. How are you doing with your diagnosis? I keep hearing that if you do well the first year, it gets better. I hope that’s true. These forums help a lot. This one is particularly good, as I feel people focus a lot on hope and quality of life.
I’m on letrozole and Ibrance too, and my wbc are chronically low. Be extra careful right now with the flu going around. My husband and I just went on a little trip last week, and I’ve spent the last five days recovering from influenza B and sinusitis! But this summer I took some trips with low wbc, and I never got sick, so I think it has a lot to do with the time of year.
You are probably right about the time of the year. The flu virus does much better in the cold than in heat.
I cover my "chrome" about 2 times a year, but I get my nails done (SNS powder) every 3 -4 weeks. I also get a pedicure at the same time. I wear good make up and I wash my face as I should. We may feel horrible, but there is no reason to look it too!!! God bless everyone!!!
My dr said it's fine to color my hair.
Thanks for letting ne know! 🙏🏻
My onc has never said not to dye my hair or do my nails.
I dyed what little hair I have left yesterday and my nails were done when I saw her on Tuesday.
To be honest, I never asked her. I think I will ask my next appointment.
Yes, all of us with MBC are incurable but treatable. Appreciate your thoughts on this. Wearing a wig is actually quite good fun - for me at least - I feel like a different person and certainly get more compliments on my appearance (and hair!) than without it. 😊
Shalom: Sister/warriorA lot of hair dyes, and hair relaxers have cancer causing chemicals. There are natural hair rinses, and natural hair dyes e.g. Henna, and Indigo. There are also formaldehyde free nail polish's. I don't use nail polish I use nail tips along with 10 second gel nail glue. I have used Henna,in the past to make my brown hair jet black, but it is very time consuming, and can leave a stain on your sink bowls, and anything it touches accidentally.
Thanks so much: appreciate your info. I’ll check with my hair stylist about the dye she uses. In the meantime, I’ve bought a fabulous wig I can wear if having a bad hair day (it’s really thinning!) or begin looking like a raccoon if I let my hair grow out. 😊
Thanks so much! I’m going to try to find a source for the formaldehyde-free polish. I’ve seen some at whole foods but don’t like the colors.
Appreciate your thoughts! 🙏🏻
I was told not to dye my hair during treatment!
Thanks for your input. It’s so strange oncologists don’t seem to be on the same page about this. Frustrating.
My onc said natural products are best so my hair stylist switched me to this ammonia free oil based color Swarzkopf Essensity . It seems the same as the regular Schwarzkopf product she was using before and still covers my gray. I’ve been on Ibrance for 6 mos and notice my hair doesn’t grow as fast so I don’t need to color as often. For nails - after doing research on more natural product, I now use Orly brand - removal is much easier and doesn’t stain/yellow nails either. Both help me look and feel good which is important with MBC. Good luck + God Bless❤️
How to deal with cancer hair
Hair
