Hi Ladies and Gents. Hair has been thinning on Ibrance and Letrozole and I have tried to preserve it a bit by not doing my regular highlights. It just looks so drab and I feel like a need a lift and highlights might do it. Has anyone noticed whether your hair thins more with coloring/highlights?
I also have periodic scalp tenderness, does that coincide with hair thinning? I know we have much more serious problems to overcome but sometimes addressing the small things helps! --Trish
Hi Trissh, I am on Ibrance and Fulvestrant and my hair is thinning. I asked the dermatologist about colouring my hair and she had no objections. She prescribed Betacap to be applied to my scalp before and afterwards.
Hi Trish I am on Ibrance and Letrozole, l get my highlights done , I do have a sensitive head, but it is worth it, I take a painkiller before I get them done and I am fine , it makes me feel so much better, I don’t loose any more hair than normal xxx
I stopped doing highlights but I do color to hide the grey that has taken over since being diagnosed. My hair thins no matter which way the wind blows on any given day 😂 My scalp hurts a little, but nothing I can't live with and I do think it is from thinning as it seems to be more sore in the areas that have lost more hair. I am also taking Biotin, but my dermatologist just recommended Nutrafol - however, it is expensive. I bought a bottle and plan to start it next week. My oncologist is fine with it as he says it is mostly vitamins. My derm also just prescribed a topical solution that he says he has seen good results with in cancer patients (it's a compounded solution) I am going to run the ingredients by my onc before I start it! Blessings!!! 💕
Let us know if you notice a difference with the topical solution and Nutrafol! Thanks! Trish
hi bracelets1,
Is this new Rx for sensitive scalp or thinning/loss of hair?
Mine thinned considerably on Ibrance and Letrozole and then changed texture and became very frizzy and unruly. I stopped dying it and purchased a fabulous wig. Wish I had my old hair back as it was thick and easy to manage. The wig looks great but is hot on summer months. If your meds help with hair loss, I’d like to try it.
Thanks and take care! KS
It is a topical solution for hair loss and thinning. I will be happy to let you know results, once I start and given it some time to work. 😉
Thabks so much! Good luck. KS
I've been wondering about a hairpiece or a wig, but I have no clue where to start in looking for one. Any suggestions?
I’ve purchased wigs, halos, scarves from this website with my first round of chemo.
I purchased mine in person a few years ago in Palm Desert, CA while visiting friends. I’ve since bought two others from the same woman via her website. If you give me your email address I’ll send you her contact info. She’s great to work with.
All best, KS
Check to talk to patient advocate in oncology office. They might have some. Or local hospital associated with oncologist might
My hair thins and my scalp gets really sore - approx four to five month intervals. Have no idea why. Am on Ibrance femara and denosumab.
I have had a little thinning but it’s growing back. I’ve been coloring my hair as soon as it came back after chemo.I told my Doctor “I came in as a redhead and I’m going out as one.
I am on the same combo of meds for two years and my hair has thinned a lot. I let the color go for awhile when it first happened but now I go about every 10 weeks for a cut and color as my hair no longer grows as fast as it used to. It makes me feel good to get rid of the grey and have a fresh short cut. My hairdresser says when she washes my hair that it is not shedding as much as it used to.
Spent 2 years on Ibrance/exemestane and in 3rd year of Verzenio/fulvestrant. Never missed a beat coloring and highlighting my hair. It has changed in the last year but stylist and I attribute that to advanced aging (76).
Manon
hey I am with ya! The top of my hair has thinned. I wear natural hair. I have color on it that brightened my mood. I wear it fluffy and you can’t tell. I have a great stylist who knows how to work with cancer clients whose hair is in transition. Good luck!
I have been on Ibrance/Letrozole for 2 years, my hair started thinning and the rest of it looked like a Brillo pad about six months in. Was scared to do anything with it but eventually got so sick of it that I went to the hairdresser and put myself at her mercy. Cut it fairly short, got it colored and highlighted. Looks good now and no issues. I think the salon products are what is needed, she used some kind of natural hair color that is not as harsh on the scalp and lots of conditioning.
I've been on Ibrance and Letrozole for 5 years. My hair thinned initially, but it seems to have subsided. I no longer color my hair, the pandemic made that decision for me when we were unable to get into beauty shops. Hang in there and do what makes you feel beautiful.
great subject! I didn't do any hair coloring during the first couple of years with MBC. Buying a wig was one of the first things I did after getting this denovo diagnosis, LOL. My hair stylist's husband has had cancer longer than I have, and she keeps up to date with medical standards for hair. Mine has changed alot in the 18 2/3 years I've been in treatment for E+ lobular; initially curlier, drier, frizzier and now grayer by far and slower to grow. She's convinced me to color it since two years or so into treatment. It's gotten just long enough for a headband to keep it off my face and I'm loving that! My husband thinks I sometimes look like a "homeless person," but the two of our grown daughters that have seen me recently like it alot and I take that alot more seriously than his comment, LOL! I've just returned home after a long hospitalization and think even more than before that our quality of life (qol) matters alot and that we really need to do things that delight us! For me, one of the best things about being home again is being able to just sit here and look out doors at the woods around us and the various animals that show up, dozens of wild turkeys these days and a chipmunk that runs across out patio several times a day. Purring cats mean alot to me, too, LOL! And thanks for explaining your online name! I had an awful time coming up with an e-mail address and resorted to scarletdahlia after several failures, and I sure understand adding that extra "s!"
Trish, it is the small things, especially our hair. Mine is thinning so much I have decided to stop coloring. It is mainly Grey now! Ugh
My thick hair is starting to thin. I am obviously shedding. As of yet, my hairdresser and myself are the only ones to notice but I’m sure I will get to the point of wigs, scarves, or halos soon if it doesn’t stop shedding. I am on verzenio and letrizole. I have wigs, scarves, and halos left over from my first round with cancer and chemo in 2015. At that time, the thought of losing my hair was extremely traumatic for me as I always wore my hair long and thick. Unfortunately this time what I can’t get out of my head is the thought that if I lose it this time, it will not grow back as my treatment will only end with my death. To say I am traumatized is an understatement. Luckily, I’ve kept my hair short-short since 2015 because I just knew I’d be “her”. The unlucky cancer patient that the cancer comes back. I do still highlight my hair but I am considering stopping the highlights just in case it makes me lose more hair. Just one more thing I have to get used to along with the many life changes this diagnosis has forced upon me. If anyone has good results with anything an oncologist recommends, I hope y’all would share the info so we can inquire about it also. Thanks!!!
Hi Trish,
I am also on Ibrance & Letrozole. I do have hair thinning. Both over all volume & the thickness of individual hairs. I have not stopped highlighting my hair, I just do it less frequently. My daughter is a professional hair colorist/stylist and since I moved to FL I am no longer near her to get my hair done (she is in NY). Fortunately I found someone near by that is fabulous! Last time my daughter did my hair she did a partial highlight. Mostly center top & angles to frame my face instead of a full head of highlights. We leave the color as it is (light brown with some gray) this way I can go longer with out needing roots done. An overall color will need a touch up to roots much quicker. I would also stay away from double process, probably would be too much. My oncologist is fine with me getting highlights too. What color is your hair? As far as scalp tenderness, I don't get that with the highlights, but I do get it if I put my hair in a bun or ponytail.
Yes. I do rhe same... Leave overall color and get partial blonde. Also some gray. I love the way my hairdresser does my highlights but the first time I got them done after starting on Ibrance I noticed a lot more thinning especially where the highlights were. I have (had) very thick hair so no one in my family has really admitted that they have noticed yet. So I'm a little bit apprehensive about getting highlights again. The other thing is that she usually puts me under the dryer and it gets super hot and I know I definitely won't have her do that. You guys are awesome offering suggestions and experiences! --Trish
hello! You have noticed correctly that hair thins on this combined treatment and there is scalp pain…akin to the sensation I remember when wearing hair in a ponytail and then taking it down. I still do the color and highlights …it helps to keep my hair look fuller . I had cut it short early on when I started treatment to avoid the stresses of brushing and drying. My hair stylist did say that I seem to have plenty of individual hair…but the strands are thinner. As for the scalp pain, gently massaging while shampooing, helps to desensitize the roots. Remember to use a nourishing conditioner to keep it soft and shiny. Avoid the “purple” shampoos and conditioners for blond hair…they make the hair dry and I was disappointed when I did try them.
Good luck! 🙏🥰
My hair is definitely thinning, and its integrity is not good. I would NOT recommend highlighting your hair while on Ibrance, unless you test it, first. I was on the drug for about 8 months before getting highlights again (due to covid), and it FRIED MY HAIR OFF. I didn't realize this because the stylist didn't tell me! So I had them done again several weeks later and more fried off. The different stylist also didn't tell me!
Yeah... I stopped the highlights! Frizzy, dry uncontrollable hair. My scalp was also very sore for first 16 months of treatment... it really hurt! Now I just finished 18 months on treatment and suddenly I noticed that I haven't had a sore scalp for a month or two and it seems that new short hairs are appearing all over my head and it's not at all the texture of my pre-treatment hair🥴
I've had a little soreness, too, and wondered why! But I'm glad your hair is growing in!
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