5 Year post chemotheraphy, advice needed! whats my next move?

oneill2004uk · Dec 4, 2012

Hi there had hodgkins lymphoma 5 years ago, after 6 months chemo, i'm as good as new!

been sorting out my diet since then and everything's been going pretty good so far except my hair

Too be fair most of my hair has come back, its just proper thin and is starting to bald on my crown which is the bit I'd like to fix to be honest.

Tried a few dodgy hair products along the way only 2, that alpecin shower gel my nan bought me (bless her) she gets sucked in by tele adverts didn't expect anything and didn't get any results.

and some revita ds laboratories garbage that made my head tingle so i stopped using that.
I heard hairs have a life of about 5 years so i didn't really worry about it for the last couple of years so now the 5's up and its still the same I'd like to know what my options are?

Hope someone can point me in the right direction. i know that revita stuff was a bad idea thankfully never used it for long.
It also gets very greasy my hair despite using shampoos designed to combat that needs to be washed when i wake up and at the end of the day. not good i know all this washing but it has too.

hope you can help

excuse my typing I've already tried to post this twice and lost it all once so getting a bit frustrated.

tom

antman · Dec 4, 2012

hi tom

that's unfortunate to have lymphoma and then hair thinning. many people on this forum can relate to the disappointment of hair loss - so feel to vent or rant here if u want

firstly see a doctor - and get a diagnosis for your hair loss.
miniaturisation of hair (thinning hair) is a common complaint general doctors get and they'll get blood tests for you (just to rule out other causes of hair loss) and or refer you to a dermatologist.

please not: it's possible to have deficiencies even with a perfect diet - my cousin for example is unable to absorb iron through her gut and must get all her iron from injections.

if your hair loss is caused by androgenetic alopecia there are two approved hair treatments:
- 1 mg oral Propecia (Finasteride) once daily
- 1 ml topical Rogaine (minoxidil) twice daily

there are plenty of experimental treatments going round that you may wish to try. unsurprisingly the results of these experimental treatments are inconsistant or unknown.

oneill2004uk · Dec 5, 2012

antman said:
hi tom

that's unfortunate to have lymphoma and then hair thinning. many people on this forum can relate to the disappointment of hair loss - so feel to vent or rant here if u want

firstly see a doctor - and get a diagnosis for your hair loss.
miniaturisation of hair (thinning hair) is a common complaint general doctors get and they'll get blood tests for you (just to rule out other causes of hair loss) and or refer you to a dermatologist.

please not: it's possible to have deficiencies even with a perfect diet - my cousin for example is unable to absorb iron through her gut and must get all her iron from injections.

if your hair loss is caused by androgenetic alopecia there are two approved hair treatments:
- 1 mg oral Propecia (Finasteride) once daily
- 1 ml topical Rogaine (minoxidil) twice daily

there are plenty of experimental treatments going round that you may wish to try. unsurprisingly the results of these experimental treatments are inconsistant or unknown.

cheers for the info, I'll ask next time i have a check up.

its probably dead cells to be honest, i would say my hair still grows as long as it did before cancer just not as thick that's all.

I'm sure with all the blood tests I've had in the last 5 years someone would have said if I'd have had a deficiency in something. so i'm pretty sure i can rule that out. will ask though.

experimental treatments worth the risk? i suppose all herbal ones are worth it

antman · Dec 5, 2012

sorry, i hadn't considered that chemo can permanently change hair and your probably right about the blood tests.

a lot of experimental treatments use well studied substances - as long as the user knows what it is and does; the user should be able to recognise a poor response and have time to stop without permanent damage.

for someone who has been on chemo, u would really need to see your doctor. they have probably seen hair damage from chemo lots of times and will hopefully recognise it.

- u could post photos on this board if you want to - a viewer may have the same thing