Mindfulness, cancer and the stuff in the space between your ears.
The Long And Short Of It: Hair Through Chemo And Beyond, Part 2
Part 1 of this series chronicled the loss of my hair to chemo and subsequent gradual regrowth through the end of 2017. Part 2 is the “beyond” part of “chemo and beyond”. These photos are somewhat self-indulgent because, well, hair does grow and so whether I’ve got short bangs or spikey hair doesn’t really have anything to do with chemo. Nonetheless, I wanted to provide some perspective regarding how long it takes until a cancer survivor’s head doesn’t look like a cancer survivor’s head.
I need to stress that these photos were originally taken so that I could monitor my progress, not with the intention of posting them for all to see, so the quality may be lacking.
February 6, 2018: I didn’t take photos for a number of weeks — probably because once I was convinced that my hair was growing in properly, I mellowed out about scrutinizing my scalp. This was my general look into the early part of 2018, a hat that showed the longer growth (around the back) but hid the painfully short hair on top. I had my very first post-chemo haircut in February.
February 17, 2018: This is after that first haircut. I got a trim around the ears and back, but the hairstylist left the top alone — good thing since it was still really short. I started venturing out without a hat. It was amazing to feel the breeze in my hair!
March 29, 2018: I loved this stage and got a lot of compliments about this look, in part because the hair on top was incredibly soft (all new growth!) and touchable.
April 24, 2018: A view from above showing how full the regrowth was.
April 24, 2018: A front view of the same stage.
May 19, 2018: Now we’re getting somewhere! The hair is noticeably longer and showing more weight.
June 27, 2018: The hair is getting unruly. Need a haircut soon!
August 17, 2018: This marks a little over a year after my last chemo. I got my second haircut in July, and this was the first trim on top. This was another stage that I really liked even though it had a mullet-y feel. I was channeling Rod Stewart here.
August 17, 2018: A view from the top. There was more color creeping back into my hair and it was feeling very substantial.
November 19, 2018: Fast-forward a couple of months. After some more growth, I went for my third haircut. The hairstylist was distracted and did a major chop job on my hair. A bad cut always sucks, but when you’ve gone through chemo, it’s even worse.
January 11, 2019: Almost two months after that last cut, the lack of symmetry was obvious (combed out for effect here); she had chopped off more hair from one side than the other. I waited to let it grow more so that the new stylist (not going back to the old place!) would have more to work with.
January 16, 2019: Finally, went to a highly-rated salon (should have gone there in the first place, but…) and got a cut I love!
January 17, 2019: I can spike it for a seriously edgy look, or keep it tamer so that I don’t freak out everyone at work.
And so ends this journey. What my hair looks like now is vastly different from when I began with my cancer diagnosis, but as I’ve said previously, I am not the person inside that I was before, and now my outside reflects that. After a year of treatment followed by a year of regaining my footing, I’m edgier and willing to push my boundaries. Cancer didn’t give me a choice but to move forward, and that’s what I’m doing.
Thankyou for posting all of this…read the hair story and the nail story…finished my 6 rounds of chemo and have had 3 of the 14 chemo lites…had the surgery…about to start 35 rounds of radiation…so good to read people’s experience with all of this…my nails also are a mess…when they started to lift and smell I soaked them in hydrogen peroxide and the bubbles screamed ANTIBIOTICS!!!…saved my nails and now just waiting for my hair to grow back…I am soooo sick of wearing hats.
Thank you so much for reading, Anya. Cancer treatment is such a long process…hugs to you with lots of hope that you will sail through radiation easily. Good idea about the hydrogen peroxide! I didn’t have the wherewithal to realize that I needed to do something about my nails until it was too late. Best wishes for rapid hair regrowth and much love to you in case it takes longer than you’d like. Take care of yourself! ❤
Frantic Shanti 
Thankyou for posting all of this…read the hair story and the nail story…finished my 6 rounds of chemo and have had 3 of the 14 chemo lites…had the surgery…about to start 35 rounds of radiation…so good to read people’s experience with all of this…my nails also are a mess…when they started to lift and smell I soaked them in hydrogen peroxide and the bubbles screamed ANTIBIOTICS!!!…saved my nails and now just waiting for my hair to grow back…I am soooo sick of wearing hats.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for reading, Anya. Cancer treatment is such a long process…hugs to you with lots of hope that you will sail through radiation easily. Good idea about the hydrogen peroxide! I didn’t have the wherewithal to realize that I needed to do something about my nails until it was too late. Best wishes for rapid hair regrowth and much love to you in case it takes longer than you’d like. Take care of yourself! ❤
LikeLike