Hair Loss ?

[redsurfer]

hi everyone !
what has been your experience with hair loss from interferon.. how much did you loose if any and when did it start falling out?
the last two times i did interferon for 6 months i lost half of my hair and then when it grew back it looked like a pineapple (haha) .. this was the old interferon so i dont know if it makes a diff.. but this time i'm on 24 week triple w incivek @ week 16 and i dont have much of any hair thinning ...i am using nixon shampoo and scalp treatment dont know if that is making the diff.. or if it just takes longer to fall out....or maybe i'm immune to it after all that and chemo for breast cancer once...would love to hear your feedback ..

i have really loved reading all your posts..thank you so much for being so kind, brave and entertaining ! my best to all of you !

[pjhep80]

this was pretty much a non issue for me i have not lost much at all one or 2 days i did notice alot of hair in the drain after showering and my hair feels a little thinner but nothing really noticeable at all...  im on week 12 of triple therapy with incivek, treated about 8 years ago with peg and virimidine as well

[nowhine]

Only 2 more weeks that is great hang in there. I believe you are still beautiful even if you are bald.

[redsurfer]

yeah..my neck is getting cold .. i wore a scarf today..all day ..we are getting thru it !! getting close to the end only more 2 weeks for me..if i remember correctly last time my hair grew back really fast .but .at this point i dont care ..just want my life back !!! hope everyone is doing well...

[belle19]

my hair started thinning around week 12.  i'm at week 21 now and it's slowed a little.  i had hair 1/2 down my back so i cut 3" off to make it look fuller.  it did help.  i'm on peg, riba and gs-9451.  i can't afford to lose much more or i will have to start wearing hats.  good luck to you.  belle

[suezeeque]

I started noticing more than usual loss at week 11.

It's the interferon.  Nothing you put on the outside is going to keep it from falling out...  It's happening from the inside.

My hair is half way down my back and believe me, if I thought I'd be able to keep it from falling out, I'd do ANYTHING!

I'm not spending a ton of money on stuff that won't make a difference.  I already use good shampoo and conditioner.  I won't stop dying my hair, I started to go grey when I was 16...  

So if it falls out, I'll buy a wig or 20.  I already have an entire wardrobe of hair pieces anyway.  Just use those until the need for a wig becomes undeniable.  :)

[redsurfer]

um..yeah... im at week 20 now... thank god ..but have been loosing hair slowly since week 16 or 17.. its getting pretty thin but i got a shorter hair cut and it does not look too bad..  i guess...  

[JAY0914]

it was week 16 i noticed....mine got thinner so i cut it short   started sleeping with a shower cap on and that helped slow it down

[working dog]

i'm loosing hair pretty fast now........week 16....billy

[Dee1956]

The first tx took close to 70% of my hair, it grew back it has been 3 years and I am on 8th week of triple.  I think I started losing it by the 4th or 5th week.  Last time I cut it and continued to dye it.  This time I am conditioning, not dying, received a huge wonderful gift of hair products from a great friend.  The products have made all the difference.  My hair ifs still falling out but it is shiny and thin lol
From what I have been told the chemo goes after fast growing cells, it can't tell the difference between good fast growing cells and bad fast growing cells so it goes after everything.  Hair, skin, mouth
This probably doesn't make sense, it is what I was told, that there is nothing we can do.  Good thing is we are all different and we all have our own stories which I enjoy reading.  I do think we can make it better.  Otherwise how can the texture of 12 inch hair change in a matter of weeks
I say anything is possible.  I also am losing my eyelashes which is not fun since they fall into my eyes.  Oops sorry too much info
Thank you all for contributing, I really want to dye this hair it has been 12 weeks and I look like a pineapple
Dee

[redsurfer]

ive lost 50% of y hair twice ..it grew back exactly the same and ive lost 100% of my hair one time too..it grew back too.. started out curly and fine but it is exactly the same as it was before .. so if i do loose alot this time i know it will grow back and... so will y'all
streamline..i think stuff just itches with this med.. mine didnt itch wen it fell out from interferon ...but with chemo it kind of hurt when it was falling out a bit and my scalp was sensitive ...but i guess everyone is different..

does anyone know what the stats are on hair loss with interferon?

[Louie723]

Exactly right, Red. Hair is good and fortunately I've kept most of it, but have always felt a little jealous of the bears.

[dreamcat]

I'm just finishing week 5 of triple tx (w/INC), and my hair is thinning just a bit more than usual.  It's been thin on top for awhile now, so I can't blame it entirely on treatment, but it's definitely drier than usual, too.  

I'm just hoping that it will fill in once I finish tx -- until then, hats will do the trick...

[streamline569]

My scalp has been itchy. Is that a sign, but hair still looks full. Only week 15.

[Livinontheedge]

I am starting week 6 tx w/ Inc and I am starting to loose my hair.  My hair is short to begin with but very thick.    I went premature white at age 33 so I color my hair, but havent been able too since I started tx , thinking that the chemicals  would not be good with the rash that has started about 3 weeks ago.  This week as well I have notice lots of hair loss and my eyebrows and eyelashes have been mega itchey and have notice some hair loss there as well.      Previous to treatment I started a very large do rag collection just in case I did loose my hair, so I am ready !   LOL      It will grow back, (I HOPE) and if not I guess bald will be beautiful !    

[redsurfer]

i know seriously ..any hair is good!! especially in winter ..burrrrr!

[Louie723]

That would be a shame for you to lose that waist-length hair. In my own case, I look at it like my front yard: It may be full of weeds, but as long as it's green that's good enough!
Not that I have green hair...

[redsurfer]

you guys are so great !!
i was bald as a q ball  on my entire body from chemo on day 14 a few years back ..i mean everywhere...yuck ! i used to have dreams of looking at myself in the mirror and i would have hair ...then id wake up looking like and alien.. it took a year for it to grow back but that was two types of hideous chemo for 6 months...
but the last two times i did interferon my hair got brittle and dry and really thin i would say i lost 50% but i dont remember when it started falling out..this time i have been way sicker cause of the incivek but my hair is still shiny and i havent lost any on week 16...so idk ..maybe im getting a break.. or maybe its the nioxin..or maybe it just hasnt happened yet....i really hope i get a break this time.. i hope we all do..but whatever ...bring it on ...!!! i can take it ..im still the same person inside ...

[orphanedhawk]

It falls out, and it grows back. When mine first came back it was fine like baby hair, that was replaced by my usually thick tresses.

Think scarves beautiful.

[R Glass]

I think I was around week 14 when I started loosing mine. I always kept my hair about 6”-8” below my shoulders (I’m Male). One day I was taking a shower and noticed the water wasn’t draining. I reached down and pulled a glob of hair from the drain. After that there was no stopping it. I eventually had it all cut off and wear it short to this day. I hate to be “The Prophet of Doom” but I think if your going to lose your hair nothing you do is going to stop it.

[nygirl7]

I lost around 75-80% but I treated for 72 weeks.  It started around week 20 but could have been due to the fact that that is when my thyroid went zonky from the ifn as it is a side of that too.  Bought lots of synthetic wigs on ebay = all different colors and styles and just had fun with that.  It grew back like a weed all nice and healthy and shiny so of course I had to go out and bleach the heck out of it again..........some of us never learn.

[mykids247]

I had a dream the other night that I was at the hairdressers and she combed my hair and it all fell out. It was a very weird night with the dreams. Thinking maybe the Riba. Very weird indeed!! Only on week two so far so good and thats all I have to say about anything at this point. Way too early to comment. Wishing all the ladies beautiful full heads of hair for Christmas.  :)

[Gerbils]

I am on shot 17. I have long hair and started losing it around week 4. I have probably lost 40-50%. I developed severe rash due to incivek and had to stop around week 9.5. One of the places the rash was particularly severe was my scalp. It took 2.5 weeks or so for the rash on my skin to improve, my scalp and ears are still a mess. No problems with lashes or eyebrows yet. 7 shots to go...I rewrote the song Unforgettable for my Undetectable result; I hope I won't be changing any Christmas songs-(I'll be bald for Christmas...You can count my hairs. I'll be bald for Christmas but I'll have hair in my dreams!) Try it to the tune of "I'll be home for Christmas"-it sorta works.

[his3707]

I think this has been going on since about week 14.  Im pretty sure it was after I stopped the incivk.    Seems like for ever..  slow torture

[streamline569]

What week did you start to notice a real difference? Was it around week 20?