hair loss

Hair loss due to cancer treatment

July 1st, 2004

Hair loss due to cancer treatment

One woman’s experience.

When I was asked by the Cancer Council (Western Australia) to review their booklet on Cancer and Hair Loss, I did have a few misgivings. However, it is very well written, and I could not find anything that needed to be changed, included or left out. In addition, I sent in a copy of my reflections of my own personal experience, which is written as a journal entry. Each woman’s experience will be different, because we are all unique.

When the nurse told me my hair would fall out in 3 weeks, I called in at the wig salon on my way home from chemo. I had a voucher from the hospital. It did not cover the full price, and I was not covered for it by health insurance, as I had not been a member for 5 years. I did check. I decided to buy the best looking (on me) wig, and not to be influenced by the price. It was as if “I deserved a good wig, not just a make-do one.” Pride and self-esteem played a big factor. I did not want to let myself down, by getting a cheap wig, and I felt a wig from the Wig Library would smack of “second-hand Rose”. I had to boost my confidence somehow. Later, I did go and get a wig from the library, then I had two, of different colours and styles.

Even though I expected my hair might fall out, I was devastated when the nurse told me. I just broke down and literally screamed “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know! ” Then after I had a crying jag, I thought ” Well, better do something about it”. So I went off to the wig salon after finishing the chemo session. One of the staff was a hairdresser, one a nurse, and honestly, I came out of the salon feeling 150% better than when I went in.

I had this crazy notion, because it was coming up to Christmas, that I had to buy the wig there and then. I had this vivid picture of myself wandering round Perth over Christmas, bald, because all the wig salons had closed for the holiday period! I had been very distressed when my hair started falling out. I would wake up with a mouthful of hair, and my unit had hair literally everywhere, worse than a moulting dog / cat ! I took myself to my hairdresser and had it all cut off, not with a razor, but with scissors. That alone was a huge leap of faith. It was all done so compassionately, so gently, it was not quite as bad as it may have been.

And yes, my hair did grow back, eventually. I had jokingly said it would grow back as dreadlocks, and red.

Hope Alexander

July 2004