Terrible Hair Loss Recently

[BallerinaMel]

I have been on Ibrance and Letrozole for about two years now. I was getting lupron shots, but stopped about four months ago. I am now recently getting zometa infusions every three months instead of once a month. I have alopecia, where I would get bald spots every once in awhile. Just recently, I have many bald spots, large ones, that are prevalent to about 35% of my scale. I am seeing a dermatologist in December. Does anyone have advice regarding hair products, if they have experienced this, etc.? Thanks so much.

[Wintervt]

Dear BallerinaMel,

I am going through the same thing. My dermatologist in Vermont was not very helpful and suggested Minoxidil. I plan to set up an appointment at Mass General as they have a group of dermatologists that specialize in hair loss.

Best,

Jade

[BallerinaMel in reply to Wintervt]

Jade,Thanks so much for your reply. I used to get cortisone shots in my scalp, prior to my mbc, but I am hoping to avoid that. I just ordered revita shampoo from ds laboratories. I am hoping it will promote some hair growth. My oncologist suggested Rogaine. Keep me posted.

Best, Melanie

[Wintervt in reply to BallerinaMel]

Hi Melanie,

I will look into the shampoo! Mass General offers PRP, which I think is a bit different from cortisone. Did the cortisone help? I am also looking into a laser cap.

Best,

Jade

[BallerinaMel]

Hi, Jade!

The cortisone shots helped a little bit. I got the shots before my mbc diagnosisx so I don't know how it would work now. I have heard about prp, I may try it if I am a good candidate. I hope the shampoo works for both of us.

Best,

Melanie

[Andersl]

Have you tried Aloe Vera gel? When I lost my hair (due to different drugs) I plastered my hair in it twicea week. It soothes the scalp and in my case helped my hair grow back..

[Melpub]

Hi--unfortunately many cancer treatments involve hair loss. I wore a wig in 2016 while on Epirubicin, Paclitaxel, and then the hair grew back--and now it's gone again! On Paclitaxel and Avastin. I didn't lose hair on Ibrance and I've heard some women don't lose hair on Enhertu, although many do. But I figure: as long as the stuff works, I'll just go buy more cute turbans.

[BallerinaMel in reply to Melpub]

Melpub,

I totally agree, that if the drugs are working, I am OK with it. If three is something out there that can help with hair loss, I would try it. Thanks for replying

[Best521]

The oncology Nurse Practitioner recommended Nutrafol. She said none of the ingredients would interfere with cancer drugs. After a year on Ibrance and Letrozole my hair thinning is more noticeable and my scalp is increasingly itchy. The hair thinning is worse rather than better as time goes by. At $88 a bottle I haven’t tried it, but curious about it. Also wonder about doses of supplements over and above a good diet and exercise? A cancer researcher recently theorized extra supplements may also help cancer cells grow, sounds logical.

I like to keep things simple, less is more, except when it comes to my hair.

[bracelets1 in reply to Best521]

Hi! I started Nutrafol about 3 weeks ago. My onc was fine with it -as he said it is just has lots of vitamins. The only thing I don't like about it.....it's 4 pills a day. 🙄 My dermatologist recommended it over biotin and he is kind and discounts it for me. I heard it takes at least 3 months to see a difference. I can let you know in another couple of months how it is going. 🙂

[Best521 in reply to bracelets1]

That is very good news. Yes definitely let me know how it goes. I was surprised when the Nurse Practitioner recommended Nutrafol because I didn’t think it could be effective with cancer patients. It would make a difference to be able to see my old self in the mirror rather than the reminder of cancer.

[WaveCatcher]

Hi BallerinaMel,After many years anoncologist surprised me by explaining that IBRANCE makes our hair follicles go to sleep.

It shortens the growth phase & puts them into resting phase much faster than normal ....then they fall out & eventually a new hair will grow.

I was told that the hair loss was not due to increased testosterone in the scalp from letrozole but the Ibrance .

But, it could still be both.

I refer to my clearings in the forest....

where I have no hair.

I use a tinted hair spray ( for when people retouch their hair dye / cover grey hair ) to fill the clearings so they fade into the background more & wear bandanas & beanies a lot.

Black seed oil ( Nigella Sativa ,) is extremely useful for a burning🔥 tender scalp from Ibrance. Available at health food , Indian grocers & on line. Around $48 for 500ml which has lasted for years & been used a lot even on friends.

Put some in a smaller dropper bottle & / or use a pipette & apply directly to the scalp so your hair doesn't get oily. Leave it on.

I recommend putting a thick towel on your pillow overnight & using a breathable hair cap.

It is a POWERFUL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY.

Also excellent for letrozole joint / muscle pains rubbed in topically.

There is no hard data on it helping with hair growth but I am going to try. It certainly makes my life much more bearable.

The new Ibrance pills are much more comfortable with my scalp than the capsules were FOR SURE. I am hoping for less hair loss as a result.

Also rosemary oil is an excellent non toxic substitute for Rogaine / minoxidil. There are many studies demonstrating it's effectiveness It is a long term ( 4 - 6 months ) process before you will see results.

I recommend diluting the rosemary oil in a carrier oil at least initially as I found it can burn when used neat on a tender scalp.

Use a pipette. A little goes a long way. You will smell like rosemary....if the aroma is a little strong save it for bedtime & add a little lavender or scent to your hair ( not scalp ) in the morning to down play it's aroma.

Last thought was trying a laser cap blue & red light spectrum to help wake up the sleeping follicles & reactivate them & keep them awake for longer...to avoid as much hair loss.

Dr Youn on youtube was reviewing them.

I am looking into doing this.

Journey well & good health

[Melpub]

The only thing is cold caps--have you heard of them? But they are difficult to use and very uncomfortable. And you have to have a bunch of people changing them constantly (imagine sitting with your head in a block of ice.)

[Kateds]

I use Rogaine and have for six years. It pretty much helps but it also dries out your hair. Good luck. There are no perfect answers. The letrozole tends to cause male pattern baldness. It’s a tough fight. 😎

[Laskia]

It is male pattern baldness caused by the oestrogen blocking effect of the drugs. I've been looking at sites aimed at balding men. So far, I've purchased a red light laser cap, minoxidil and a rosemary scalp preparation. In capsule form, I'm taking stinging nettle root, saw palmetto and pumpkin seen oil.

I do also use a spray to cover up grey roots which also fills in the thin bits.

Its an ongoing battle!

[BallerinaMel]

Thanks, everyone, for your great advice!

[Claireperth]

I spoke to a doctor who works at a hair loss clinic. He explained that the medication is designed to attack fast growing cells. Unfortunately hair cells are fast growing so along with the cancer cells, hair cells on the scalp get attacked as well. He told me that the hair growth drugs cannot keep up with the speed of our medication. I hope that makes sense to you.

[Gramat]

Bless you. Hair thinning has been one of the hardest effects of treatment in my case. I take Viviscal vitamins and since June have had Hair dreams extensions on. My hair is growing but not to the thickness it was before. I strongly recommend the Hairdreams tape extensions or Hairdreams Microlines . I have regained confidence with the extensions.

[Shafight]

I too thank all of you for advice. I don’t know where to begin with these suggestions!

[Kruza]

Thanks everyone for the information. My hair is growing but not to the thickness it was before. The hair is soft and curly but not thick.

New Hair