Early hair loss on Paclitaxel

Hi Nell,

I was diagnosed with womb & fallopian tube just over four years ago now. The treatment was carbo/taxal,& like you I lost all of my hair after the first session of chemo. It was approx.a week or so after. My head felt very strange and sort of itchy during the evening so I brushed it & the following morning it just all came out,apart from a little bit at the back of my head near the neck.

Once your treatment is finished it should grow back fairly quickly. I finished my treatment end of March 2016 & by August /Sept I went without my wig which I was pleased about as our son got married in early Sept.

So although this is a horrible situation I tried to view as at least the chemo must be working which sort of worked for me as I am normally fairly upbeat anyway.

I hope the rest of your treatment goes ok,& i wish you well for the future.

Take care.

Georgette x

Hi Georgette,

Thanks for your reply.  Gosh, yours was even quicker than mine - I guess everyone is different.  I know what you mean about the scalp feeling strange; I would describe mine as the feeling after having had a pony tail in all day and the hair roots having been pulled in the wrong direction!  I am not too distressed about the hair loss and, like you, am taking it as a sign that that the treatment is doing something!].  My daughter gets married in August so I know that I will still be be-wigged at the stage though at least that will save me time and trouble at the hairdressers on the morning, and it should look good no matter what!

Best wishes, Nell

Hi Nell, I read that hair loss usually starts 2-3 weeks after the first treatment with paclitaxel. My hair loss was in this time window. 

Thank you MaldivesFan - good to know.  Now I just need to decide whether to patiently let the hair do its own thing or to take matters into my own hands. It all depends how annoying it becomes!

Best wishes, Nell

Hi Nell, I had long curly hair so I asked my hairdresser to cut it short before I started chemo. Once it started to fall out I left it for a few days, but then I washed it and it went into a matted mess that I couldn’t do much with. So my hubby used his clippers and took it off. I had bought some nice soft caps and a selection of scarves in preparation. I didn’t want a wig. 

Oh, my hair is hopeless anyway - really fine and flat - so I really don’t mind it all going. I have a few scarves and chemo hats ready but I am going to get a wig as youngest daughter is getting married in August and I think that I want to have ‘hair’ for that occasion. I am thinking it will probably look the best it has every done!

Best wishes, Nell:

Hi. My hair started coming out in big clumps 10 days after first chemo and had nearly all gone by the time my second cycle started. My hair was extremely thick and some of it refused to budge. In the end I did shave it. My head alternated between being itchy and stinging. I'm about to have 4th cycle and it's quite strange where I've lost hair on other parts of my body! I still have eyebrows and eyelashes though much thinner than they were. 

Hi Nell,

How lovely that your daughter is getting married in August,so that you have something to look forward to. I hope that it turns out to be a superb day for both you & your family. I actually think that the wigs are amazing these days & i was told by the lady who supplied my wig, that a lot of people that go on cruises have several to wear for different evenings. I must say i was apprehensive at first about going out,but i honestly think that you cannot tell the difference & it does give you the option of changing both your colour and style if you want to.

Take care,

Georgette xx

Hi Georgette,

I now have my wig and it looks amazing.  My husband even forgot that it was a wig after about half an hour!  The colour is so well matched to my natural hair and the style is just how I tried to get my hair to behave, so I am delighted.  Funny, I didn't think that it was that important to me but it's made me so happy!  I went to a wig consultant with his own hairdressing salon and had an initial consultation last week when I still had a reasonable amount of my own hair.  We decided which colour would be best and he then ordered in a couple of wigs which he thought would suit me best.  We went back yesterday (with decided less hair) and loved both of the styles, though one was definitely more me.  He trimmed and thinned it a little to make it spot on for me and then I wore it home with no qualms at all. I appreciate that not everyone is lucky enough to be able to buy privately but when I considered what I would be spending on hair cuts and highlights over the next year, I decided that it is definitely worth it for me.

Best wishes, Nell x

Hi Nell,

I am so pleased that you were able to get a suitable wig, as it makes such a difference to how you feel personally.

Originally I had an NHS wig, but as the weather started to warm up my head felt awful, so I went back to the lady where I went the first time & I got one that was hand tied,& so much lighter in content. It is important to try and make yourself feel good when you are going through treatment or that is what I found. I remember reading about one lady who said even when she went for the treatment she would dress as if going out for lunch or similar which is what I did really. However I do appreciate that for some people it is not possible if they feel really ill prior to going.

I was lucky,as my husband suggested going away for 3nights each month, once I initially got through the grotty days,so this helped as well. We went to places not to far away and stayed in nice hotels where we were looked after very well. Mind you I was able to eat normally which makes a difference. One day I remember saying I really fancy fish and chips which is a thing I would generally never choose,but thoroughly enjoyed it.

I sincerely hope that your treatment goes well for you.

Georgette xx