[CarolsymonsParticipant]

I had my hair clipped to 1/8 inch before going in for SCT as I expected to lose it all. I already had bald patches from the etoposide before collection. But…..no more hair has fallen out through the SCT process. But…..neither is it growing? How long does it take to start to grow? I am 9 weeks post transplant and nothing seems to be happening!

Carol

[rebeccaRParticipant]

Hi Carole, I went totally bald again when in for SCT and it started sprouting 8 weeks from cells returned but I think I only noticed it because I was bald, has come back a total different colour, very dark but no grey heirs in it! Only a handful of people know I have cancer and my wig is more or less the same as my “natural colour/style” so no-one has noticed the transition but don’t know how I’m gonna explain the new colour!hoping it won’t go curly also as it grows. I’m keeping a wig on until its of a normal short length style but find the cost v. expensive as the wig I have looks very natural but doesn’t seem to last long ( I wear it all the time except in bed). My regrowth now is not bad (was my 100 days BMB yesterday) but now have to wear what looks like a pair of American tan types on under my wig to stop it slipping with my new hair! Trials and tribulations of vanity eh?

Rebecca

[CarolsymonsParticipant]

Hi Rebecca
I don’t understand why I didn’t lose all my hair with the melphalan….it seems everyone else does. I could have just kept what I had left! Maybe I should shave off the stubble to encourage new growth? Maybe the stubble is so damaged from the melphalan it can’t grow? I am starting to get worried…I don’t want to be hairless forever!
I do have a wig that is also quite like my old hair but it annoys me so I only wear it when I go out. At home I just wear a turban or scarf.

Carol

[rebeccaRParticipant]

I’m sure growth is imminent, literature says anything upto 3 months to start growing. wouldn’t shave off your hair – every bit of length is precious. Will say that once I noticed it coming back seems to grow/thicken up quite quickly – or that’s the illusion when you’ve had none. I have read of a couple of others on here who didn’t lose their hair in the process (men).Strange.

[DizzylizParticipant]

hi carol,

kev had his hair shaved off by one of the nurses as it was falling out all over the pillow, we will never know weather it would’ve all fallen out but 3 months after sct it was growing to my relieve although he’s always had it quite short, I’m thinking some good old ozzy sunshine will do the trick! bet you can’t wait, you’ve done really well and hope you continue too! hope everything goes ok for your return to work and you listen to your body,

keep well love liz & kev xx

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Carole
The chemo makes us lose most but not all hair ..as when it gets to a certain stage it becomes dormant or old hair which stays put for 6 months or so I believe, what we lose is just the actively growing hair. I lost about 3/4 of my hair after melphalan and was left with wispy moth eaten looking hair, I cut this very short after about 4 weeks. After about 3 months post melphalan I had lost nearly all of this hair but new hair was beginning to grow. Another month after this I had a complete covering of very short, dark hair. I had my first trim after about 5 months to get it all one length… Very very short. I became allergic to the wig so discarded it as soon as I could, just after the 3 month mark. People just thought I was a bit bohemian with long dangly earrings and loads of mascara and making it look like a statement! Then it changed and went curly and black and silver!
Now I’m a blonde
Love Helen

[rebeccaRParticipant]

Hi Helen,
Just wondering how long did it take to get your hair to the length on your photo please? Think MM has made me obsessive about things – stopped obsessing so much about MM (for now anyway) – but transferred this to hair! Want to wear a wig until its about your length in the picture but its probably not doable. Always had shoulder length hair and don’t seem to have the bone structure to make short look good.
Rebecca

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Rebecca
I have attached 3 photos. 1 is clearly Christmas ! 4 months after my SCT, the second is April 8 months post SCT . I had my hair trimmed in the March but only minimally to even out the wispy bits. I had the curls cut off and colour applied in July , 11 months from SCT. Until I looked for the photos today I’d forgotten how long it seemed to take, and I focused on it a lot too.
Love Helen

Ha well I tried to load the pics but clearly the new site does not want to play ball! I will leave this to Stuart to try to fix!!
H

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by  Helen. Reason: Can't see pictures posted!

[CarolsymonsParticipant]

Thanks for the photos Helen…there’s hope for me yet…but still no growth after 9 weeks! Depressing!

Carol

[rebeccaRParticipant]

Thanks for sharing Helen, gives me better idea, hoping I don’t go curly as I was prone to when it went long and have not yet met anyone with cancer who hasn’t gone curly – chemo sure screws the body up (as well as the mind of course!). The blonde certainly suits you best.

[jane-wrenchParticipant]

Hi ladies – yes I remember how upsetting the bald head was when I had my transplants – it’s the last straw after everything else- although you save a fortune on shampoo! I’ve had two SCTs and both times my head was shaved in hospital once the hair started to fall out.  The first time I had the transplant in the June and hated the baldness and was also convinced the hair would never come back as it seemed so saw to grow and I put the wig on every day, hating anyone to see me without it.  I was a teacher at the time and when I went back for the new term after Christmas I stopped wearing the wig – just in case  any observant year 9 boys spotted it! Very short hair then but enough to be seen! The second time I had a transplant I was far more relaxed , knowing the hair would eventually come back. I was happy to wear a baseball cap or scarf and even go ‘au naturel’ at home . Both times I had wigs which were similar to my own hair, blonde and shoulder length, but I think it would be better to have a short wig so it’s not such a contrast when you stop wearing it- if there’s a next time, that’s what I’d do.  Both times the hair came back darker, coarser and curly at first, but once it settled down it was the same as ever. I kept going to the hairdresser and asking for highlights as it looked so dark but she kept telling me there wasn’t enough hair to pull through a cap or put the foil on!  harassed her every week until I had enough!

[TharewoodParticipant]

Hi Carol

I kept my hair all through 6 rounds of chemo, I still had a good head of hair after SCT however on day 15 after stem cells went back in it came out in big chunks. I had the rest shaved off on day 15 post SCT. It isn’t growing very fast although I am only now 38 days post op, however there is a tiny stubble on top of my head which looks fairly black which is weird as I was a red head. I too worry about it not coming back however at the moment I’m just concentrating on getting my strength back as I really miss going to work. Also my other side effect that’s getting on my nerves is the constant feeling of nausea. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this goes quickly & hopefully my hair will start to grow soon. I really don’t want to wear a wig when I go out but find I get more stares when I’ve got my head scarfs on – hey ho I’m just glad to be alive. Take care

Tracey x

[StanstanParticipant]

Hi Everyone
Great to be back on the site. Wow
My hair took quite a few weeks to grow back, when it did, I was curly.
I have always had straight hair. Now, at the back of my head especially, it just curls.
My son said, “Do something with your hair, it is awful”. I went for a hair cut!!!

Onwards and Upwards as Tom says.
Charlie

[Author]

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