going without my wig!! but what about the eyebrows?
I finally decided this is the day! Unlike many of you I have worn my wig constantly since I lost my hair. I always had long hair and just didn't feel like me without it! (didn't really feel like me with it either) 10 months since chemo and I have about 2" of wavy, fine hair. It's not what I had but the wig is getting uncomfortable and I am afraid it will slip off as it does not sit well over hair!
I am going to a friends 40th tonight in vintage dress (1920's) so the short hair looks the part!
I have a friend coming to draw eyebrows for me as these still haven't re-grown, and I cannot do them with my glasses on and cannot see to do them with the glasses off!
Has anyone else suffered eyebrow loss? any tips? I have heard they can be tatooed on, has anyone tried?
Hi I got stencils in Roches (where I got the wig) and they recommended filling in eyebrows with brown eyeshadow rather than pencils. Mine got very thin near the end so it was easy to use the powder to fill in gaps, but the stencils were really good as well. They will grow back in time, tattoos cannot be undone.
I've bought brow-zings by benefit in case mine go!!
Worth giving a try
Xx
Thanks for the advice girls! will definately look into the stencils.
Karen
Isa Dora eyebrow pencil is brilliant I've been using it all the time very natural.
Hi Karen
From reading other forums, if your eyebrows have come back and then fallen out again a few times in the first year after chemo, it is apparently not uncommon. However, if your hair has come back well but your eyebrows never came back it might be worth getting your thyroid checked. Apparently eyebrows can be affected by thyroid problems. If you had radiotherapy it is possible that your thyroid gland got some radiotherapy too.
I have an enlarged thyroid since my rads and a long awaited appointment with an endocrinologist in a few week's time.
Concerning tatoos, a friend of mine had eyebrows tatooed on but now that her eyebrows have grown back, it looks very strange.
Enjoy that party!
Kath
Thanks Kath. It could be thyroid although I have my levels tested regularly as I had radioactive iodine for overactive thyroid so I am now underactive and on thyroxine for life!
Just as an aside I was very upset to discover a medical study of 2003 suggesting radioactive iodine can double the risk of breast cancer, with the cancer appearing 5 to 10 years after treatment (I had mine in 2006) I was not informed of this risk when I had the treatment! It is why I am now looking to have my "good" breast removed and reconstructed when they do the one I already lost.
By the way the party was great!
Karen
Hi Karen,
Delighted you had a good time at the party .
But very sorry to hear that you have already been through the wars with thyroid treatment. Poor you. Good luck with the rest of your treatment and I hope those eyebrows come back soon.
Hugs
Kath
HI Karen I have heard of a new thing for eyebrows its not tatooing but it lasts for ages gonna get mine done Tuesday week will let you know how I get on. I have literally none left now or eyelashes and beginning to look weird. Glad the party was fun
Hi Dee,
Will be waiting to hear about this new thing for eyebrows.
I have lost my eyebrows and eyelashes and also look a bit weird. I finished chemo on 24th January and the hair on my head is growing back but no sign of new eyebrows and eyelashes. I can't wait to see new eyelashes and to start using mascara again.
Roseo
God I'm lucky lost a few eyelashes but not too many and my eyebrows are very thin but a bit of pencil sorts that, although some say they only fall out after chemo finished !!!
I'll be waiting to hear hoe the eyebrow thing goes Dee!
I have ordered a stencil set from amazon. Will let you know how I get on. Cannot use pencil freehand because, as I said before, I am blind without the specs and they get in the way if I keep them on
Karen
Hi guys, I lost my eyebrows and eyeslashes 2 weeks after last chemo. They started to grow back in 4 weeks Later. So you may not be without them for long. I didn't pencil them in as I would not be able to make them look realistic.
One then I noticed when they grew back, my face became very hairy too. It's really wearied. Luckily I'm air so it not noticeable to others but it is to me.
Anyone else have this hairy face thing?might not be anything to do with treatment either.
Ann
Hi Ann,
Yes, I had fine fair hair in front of my ears and down the outside edge of my face, hair long enough to grasp but not very visible. I wasn't sure what to do about it, but I found another forum (maybe Komen) where the ladies had removed the hair with tweezers and it didn't grow back. So I did likewise and it didn't grow back, thank goodness!
I believe the hair comes from the steroids we get with the chemo and that it falls out on its own within a few months.
I am over 10 months out of chemo. Four haircuts (such sheer luxury ) with less chemo curl at each cut but those pesky curls are still unmanagable. And no hair on my face anymore
There is an older thread on this subject you might like to look at
Kath
Thanks Kath. Really looking forward to going back to a hairdressers. Its amazing what you appreciate more now.
My hair is coming back well but not thick enough to get it trimmed yet. Not seeing any wave in it yet. I did have very straight hair. I wonder will it be curly at all.
Great to hear the hairy face will go away. I thought I was imagining it.
Ann
I called in to see my hairdresser the other day just to say hello. I said the same, can't wait to be back in that seat getting my hair done. Haven't experienced facial hair yet. I'm 5 weeks out if chemo should I still expect it?
Getting the hair done again will be a great treat for ourselves.
The hairy face thing - All I know is I noticed it when my eyebrows and eyelashes started to grow back. (I was doing great staring at myself in the mirror that day to notice it). The same week I seemed to have a surge in my hair growth too. That would have been 5 or 6 weeks after chemo I think.
You might be lucky and not get it, but it seems to be only temporary anyway.
Have you got good hair growth now?
Ann
Next week will be the start of my sixth week out of chemo. I've got fluffy hair but not a lot. Think I will go public when I've any hair at all as I hate the wig with a passion. It serves the purpose but that's it. Love my little hats , can't believe how I took to them.
I'll be 3 weeks over chemo this Thursday and still have no eyebrows or eyelashes.
Guess I'll have to wait another few weeks before I see some regrowth. Can't wait to treat myself to a new mascara when I have new eyelashes.
Roseo
My eyelashes are a nice length now and putting on mascara is lovely. I don't use an eye lash curler as I'm paranoid about putting too much pressure on them as I heard that they could fall out and grow back a few times.
Hopefully Roseo you will see them start growing again in the next few weeks.
Ann
I got my eyebrow stencil kit this week and tried it for the first time today! It worked very well
It will take a bit of trial and error to get the colour and match exactly right but hubby said I did well with it - he just found it a bit strange looking at me with eyebrows, he's got so used to me without! (12 months since I lost them now)
Pleased to be getting lots of complements about my new, short curly hair I always had long thick hair so the new short, thin curly look does not feel quite "me" but I'm glad it's coming back and it is so much easier without the wig.
Karen
Hi Girls as promised heres a link to my lovely new eyebrows must say I feel like a new woman - they are not permanent tatooes they are sort of embroidered on and look great and will last around 18 monhts
http://wp.me/p2NdzH-bw
Those eyebrows look great Dee. I have managed to hang on to a few hairs in my eyebrows so I'm filling in with a pencil and my Benefit eyebrow kit - which works really well too.
Never paid too much attention to my eyebrows before but after this is all over I will definitely spend a bit more time on my appearance.
Time to brow out!
Liz
Enjoy the party!!! Sounds just fab!!
I've heard mixed things about getting eyebrows tattoed; it's hard to reverse and before you know it hopefully your eyebrows will grow back enough that you'll be happy with them.
I've seen somewhere there are eyebrow kits you can use to stencil on eyebrows. I'll google and see if I can find the link.
I didn't really do anything about mine - shur I thought I was gorgeous, and when I realised how thin my eye brows had gone I didn't give a hoot!