[After Drug Therapy] How long did it take for hair to grow? Was I able to stop wearing a wig?
This is my regular "how long" series.
I write about various "what it's like" experiences in this note, but since there is very little real-life information online about things like "how long the pain lasted," "when I was able to move again," or "how long I had to be careful," this is a series where I write in detail about "how long it took."
I am writing this in the hope that it might be helpful to someone. For reference.
My pre-operative therapy was EC therapy. My hair started falling out four weeks after the first IV drip, and since it was a hassle to have hair left in patches, I pulled it out. So, it felt like it all went at once. That's why I couldn't go to work without wearing a wig.
Wig from after Golden Week in May 2022
Please refer to the note below regarding the response to the wig.
I was almost completely bald for a long time. I always wore a wig when going out.
September 2022 End of chemotherapy via IV drip
The factors causing hair loss end here.
:3 months later:
December 2022 During hospitalization for surgery It feels like it has grown about 2cm.
It is still sparse.
I feel embarrassed in front of doctors and nurses,
so I wear a hat.
:3 months later:
February 2023 If I wear a knit hat, hair shows on my cheeks and nape, so it doesn't look unnatural. :3 months later:
May 2023 I went to the hair salon I had been visiting since before chemotherapy and explained the situation.
Even though it's a very short style,
they can trim it into something
that can be called a "hairstyle."
In private, outside of work,
I go without a wig.
However, since it doesn't style well,
I always wear a hat.
:4 months later:
September 2023 A full year since the end of chemotherapy Even though it's short, if I style it, I can have a hairstyle that is acceptable for work. The hair length is about 10cm.
However! My hair texture changed too much.
I originally had wavy hair, but due to the effects of the chemotherapy, it became frizzy and curly.
It feels like Michael Jackson when he was a child, or like Yusaku Matsuda.
My bangs won't fall forward at all. On rainy days, it expands surprisingly wide, and I have many such troubles!
Since the gap between my hair before chemotherapy and the wig is so large, I reached January 2024 while still thinking about when to switch from the wig back to my natural hair.
Conclusion
One year after finishing chemotherapy, you can take off the wig!