Hello i had chemo (6 sessions) finished early september i lost my hair which i was ok about. It has started to grow back but seems slow. I last shaved it mid sept. As i was a hairdresser i thought it would be 3 cm by now but its prob 1.5cm. Does it take longer to grow after chemo. I am also on phesgo. 1 inj every 3 wks.
Thank you Mitsie
Hello Mitsie,
Thank you for getting in touch with us. My name is Lynsay, and I am one of the cancer information nurses with Macmillan Cancer support.
Welcome to the online community, I hope you are finding this to be a helpful and supportive space.
I hope you are doing well after finishing your chemotherapy treatment and that you are coping well with your ongoing phesgo injection. We would recommend reporting any side affects you may experience with phesgo to your hospital team, just as you would have done during your chemotherapy treatment.
Hair loss is often listed as a side effect of phesgo, but this mainly relates to when this is given in combination with chemotherapy, and it is the chemotherapy element that impacts hair loss. Hair loss is not listed as a common side effect of phesgo when given alone.
As phesgo is a targeted treatment it is not thought to impact the hair follicles in the same way that chemotherapy does. This being the case it is less likely that phesgo would interfere with hair regrowth after chemotherapy.
Hair regrowth after chemotherapy can happen a very different rates, for some people it is possible to feel regrowth within a week of finishing chemotherapy treatment, in other cases regrowth may take several months and may feel very slow.
Your hair may also grow back in a different colour and texture. In some cases, there is a possibility your hair might grow back curly when you have had straight hair before treatment..
Most hair specialists advise a period of at least 3-6 months to assess for recovery due to variations in the growth cycle of hair which is different for each person.
Cancer Hair Care is a really good charity, that you may find useful. They have a section about hair regrowth after chemotherapy including ways to take care of new hair. They also offer various support services which may be helpful.
I have also attached our booklet called coping with hair loss, this has a section relating to hair regrowth after treatment.
You could also consider speaking to your hospital team if you have any direct concerns about your hair growth. If indicated, they may advise checking some routine bloods to see if there may be any another issues that could be contributing to any slow or lack of hair growth.
I hope this is helpful Mitsie, please don’t hesitate to get back in touch with us if there is anything else we can help with,
All the best
Lynsay
Cancer information nurse specialist
Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. If you think it may be useful to chat things over in real time, we have our webchat service available 7 days a week 8am-8pm.
LA/AW
