this summer i had an autologous stem cell transplant with BEAM and i’m now about 7 weeks post transplant and wondering when my hair is going to start growing back.
my hair grew back quickly after ABVD, was still pretty thick after both rounds of GDP and leaving the hospital 3 weeks post transplant i still had a reasonable amount left but it’s gotten so thin since then i had to shave it tonight.
my hair had just grown back after the first time i was ill when i was told my cancer had relapsed so i’m finding coping with losing it this time even more difficult especially as i’ve no idea how long it will be until my hair will start growing back.
if anyone could tell me how long it took their hair to stop falling out/start growing again or point me in the direction of a forum where others have discussed this i’d be really greatful
Hi again Lottieee241 and welcome across to this little corner and well done you getting through your Auto SCT.
7 weeks post this hit on your body especially having BEAM is not long at all so your body including your hair follicles are still in recovery.
I actually shaved my hair off before my second Allo (donor) SCT….. yes I had two As I was told it would definitely fall out with my treatment, not the same as BEAM but did have Melphalan. Melphalan is a big hit in the body so it just takes time to recover.
I would say that I had a good 10mm covering after about 8-10 weeks then it started to grow quickly after that.
The SCT unit I was in is part of a dedicated cancer hospital so it had a wellness centre. There were hairdressers in the centre so they understood the different drugs used across the cancer treatment types and they advised me to shave my hair for a good few weeks until I could see an even growth over my whole head then just leave it to grow.
Obviously everyone (including every type of cancer treatment) will be so different but it will grow back.
You may find this old thread helpful Life after a SCT - A Survivor's Guide as we have collected people’s thoughts about post treatment life ((hugs))
