Eyebrows and eyelashes falling out again nearly 5 months after chemo has ended!?!

Hi 

This can happen and it happened to me too ! Apparently it’s pretty common and to do with the hair cycle . So your eyebrows and eyelashes will come out all at once ( not every single hair for me , just went thinner )because they pretty much came in all at once after chemo  but they grew again very quickly and thicker than ever ! 
This is different to your head hair , mine was unaffected , try not to panic , I know that’s easy to say ! 
Mine  are now going thinner because of the hormone treatment and Abemaciclib! Joys huh ?! 

hugs xx

Hi,

Thankyou so much for your reply.  That makes sense about the hair cycle. Very reassuring to know that your head hair was unaffected.  I can deal with eyelashes and eyebrows but would be gutted if my head hair went again. I am also on estrogen blocking treatment and phesgo which I guess could be contributing. Even before the eyebrows coming out yesterday they have been much much finer than before chemo so hopefully after this recent shedding they will come back thicker again.  

X

Hi I know this thread is from a few months ago but so glad it's on here. My hair and eyelashes grew back amazingly with lots of comments on how thick and long they both were. Over the past three weeks I'd noticed my hair felt thinner and my eyebrows/lashes were falling out so that I've now not got much left. I can see the new baby lashes coming through but it's gutting after just getting them back. The rest of my body hair seems to have stayed in place of course! 

I'd been fretting that something else was going on but it's good to know that (unfortunately) it's all part of the chemo deal - I've just read similar on an American cancer survivors forum.

Take care all xx

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear you are also experiencing this.  You are right it's very disheartening for them to fall out again and makes you feel like you look ill again just as you're starting to feel better.  I am glad this post has helped you feel you are not alone as although it does happen it doesn't seem to be that common (even my oncologist hadn't heard of it happening) I have just passed the year after chemo mark and every 12 weeks my eyelashes come out.  What I will say is that each time they come out less come out than the time before.  Mine just and their 12 weekly fall out last week and I only lost about 50 percent this time.  I think that it is because when we lose them from chemo it messes with the lash hair cycle and they all are on the same time scale of falling out whereas normally only a few would be in the falling out cycle at any given time.  It can take a long time for the lash cycle to get back into some sort of normal rhythm.  X

Thanks for your reply LucyP - although it's rubbish to be sharing these experiences it does help when it explains things for us. I feel like I can just learn to live with it now I know it's "normal" (even if it's just a few of us). 

I hope you're feeling well otherwise and getting back on track with life.

Take care, Zoe x

Hi, my eyebrows and eyelashes are falling out again after they grew back very nicely after chemo so I just wanted to ask you as it’s been 3 months since you u posted have yours fell out again as I’m not looking forward to this happening every 3 months. 

Hi,

Recently had another shedding of eyelashes but this time I would say I only lost about 40 percent which is a massive improvement for me. So it's seeming like each time less are falling out whereas at first it was all of them. It's not great fun going through it repeatedly but it's good that they at least grow fast. Hope you're okay 

X

Awww ok thanks for replying, good to know they didn’t all fall out the 3rd time, it’s very annoying just wen you start to feel normal having them fall out once again, but happy it’s not happening to our head hair, silver linings hey take care. 

Hi Pola1020 - so far so good and they don't seem to be shedding again!! Fingers crossed.

Hope you are well otherwise and getting out the other side xx

Thanks for replying Zedd11, that’s great news glad to hear they stayed put this time, I’m very tired after chemo and radiotherapy and hopeing I get the all clear when I have a scan in a few months you would think eyelashes and eyebrows would be the least of my worries but I just want to be me again  thank you I hope your well too xx