how to handle hair loss,on Ibrance and anastrozle

[obx1]

hair loss on iv chemo, very thin with little grown, cover skull barely. how do you handle it.

[Mary115]

Obx1 My heart goes out to you. This is such a hard one to deal with. One of my resources in dealing with cancer related heart ache is finding the right SHARE volunteer for my concern. . Here is a short description of the people who are volunteers who have personal experience. I found the right volunteer for me at SHARE with whom I can share so much.sharecancersupport.org/2015...

And I do what you are doing and find reciprocity here on the forum and in another support group too. Feeling for you..

[obx1 in reply to Mary115]

thanks for help. I have a baseball hat I wear, am I too old for it😅

[Mary115 in reply to obx1]

Baseball caps with hair attached, are interesting, but how about done in gray....

[Building-strength]

Are you new to Ibrance? I just started it 3 weeks ago I’m on my off week. I haven’t experienced any loss.

[obx1 in reply to Building-strength]

on it for year. lost most of my hair on iv chemo. no new growth. if you have had no loss should be ok

[Verbena1]

Hi, I fully know how you feel. I had longish full thick healthy hair and when I was put on early menopause last year in the hospital I got anastrazole and eligard, now on ibrance too - my hair loss was about 50% of my hair. It also sticks straight up and out, and is dry and frizzy. It’s heartbreaking! No offense to the male doctors or my male family members but they truly don’t get how devastating it can be for us emotionally dealing with any type of hair loss / dramatic change.

Since I can’t really wear my hair down at all anymore (unless I straight-iron it), and even if I do it will last about an hour before it starts to stick straight back up or straight out again, I’ve started trying various ways of putting it up.

Not sure how long your hair is, but for me for a while it was ponytails every day, now it’s that or a fake bun, I think it’s called a donut?

You get this plastic spongey thing and once your hair is in a ponytail, put the ponytail through the donut, and wrap the rest of the (thin as hell!) hair around it and secure it. It gives the illusion of having a much thicker hair bun. They also have elastic buns with hair already on them so you just wrap it around your tiny bun and it gives a nice look. Just match it with your hair color. I got mine on eBay -

Another thing that’s really been useful to me is pomade. (I use one called Suavecito that smells really nice). Since even in a ponytail or bun my hair will find a way to stick out if it’s not fully secured, I put a little pomade and water through it after it’s up (or sometimes before). Then I use those gripper hair clips (the ones that snap closed, but they have extra grip on them) to secure all the flyaway hairs.

It’s no substitute for having the hair down, but for me it keeps it neat and tidy. Even with short hair I would do the pomade and clips, just for another look.

I haven’t tried these but there are also partial hair clip ons or combs that you can match to your color and put them onto the top of your head, I believe.

Other godsends are colorful headbands, hair combs or over here (and in other locations) we have Mondays at Racine which I haven’t done yet but waiting for an appointment. As long as you’re getting treatment they’ll do your hair on certain day of the month free of charge which includes non toxic hair dye, nails, etc

All the best to you - hoping you get lots of good tips here!

[obx1 in reply to Verbena1]

my hair just covers my skull, looks like an old man. hat or scarf what do you think

[mariootsi in reply to obx1]

I wear headcoverinngs from headcovers.com. They are pressed with elastic and tails. Soft beautiful fabric. They have a big selection...print or plain.

[Verbena1 in reply to obx1]

Sounds like you could do either, although as mariootsi mentioned, the fabric head coverings are beautiful and you can make those work. Maybe take some pics in both, and then get a vote from family or friends?

[Totheriver]

I am also on ibrance and letrozole. After being on it for a year my hair was so thin and dead I shaved it off and am wearing a wig. I am trying to let it regrow but does not look promising. I think as long as I am on these drugs a wig it will be.

[JEY1]

I have been on Ibrance and Letrazole for over a year. My hair is thinning a lot so I just have a short haircut. During IV chemo I lost all my hair and was so glad after completing it my hair started growing back. Now the thinning! I try not to let it bother me as I am stable with my scans and I know the medication is working!

[Southside25]

Get a wig. I used to have really thick, curly hair which is about 75% gone and it's straight and very fine. I bought a couple of attractive, age-appropriate wigs that look good and make me feel "normal". I never have to think about my hair or how it looks. Women often compliment me on my hair; I smile sweetly and say thanks. The most I've spent on one wig is $100 and one was less than $40. Wigs of artificial hair are pre-styled and easy to care for. Best thing I ever did. Just search on "wig vendors online", and you'll find plenty of resources.

[love2golfwell]

I did not really lose hair when I first started on Ibrance and Letrozole but now after about 7 months of treatment it has thinned out a lot, probably by half. I always had very thick hair that grew quickly. I got it cut really short at my last hair appointment and it looks cute. No one has really noticed the thinning so far, but it does bother me more than I thought it would. Every time I wash it I see more scalp. I am not quite ready to get a wig, but have had suggestions on where to go from my hair stylist and my care management nurse. She said if the doctor gives you a prescription for a wig, insurance may cover some of the cost. She also said to contact the American Cancer Society about getting a wig as they have resources, too. I would definitely consider getting one or two if the thinning gets too hard to manage emotionally. I know others on this site have said that their hair stopped thinning after a longer time on these meds, but we shall see. Best of luck to you, I know it is a difficult side effect to deal with.