Hep Hair Care Tips

[KelseyMcCann]

Hi Everyone,

For those who have gone through treatment, to what extent did you experience hair shedding?
What did you do to help prevent it and what did you do to keep it healthy?

Thanks!
Kelsey

[Ann]

Hi Kelsey, welcome to the forums.

When I did the treatment I lost quite a bit of hair and there was nothing I could do about it.

However, most of it came back (90%?) and it started growing again within a couple weeks of the end of treatment.

One saving grace was that my hair fell out equally all over (and I do mean all over) - it didn't come out in clumps leading to bald patches. My hair just got really thin.

The only thing I can think of to suggest is to make sure you're using a quality shampoo and conditioner and give your scalp a good massage when you shampoo. The only effect I could really see from doing that myself was that it gave more volume to the hair I did have, making the hair loss a little less obvious. It didn't stop hair falling out though.

Hang in there, the hair loss is temporary. I've seen some anecdotal reports from some people who say their hair came back thicker than ever, although this wasn't my experience. However, my age could have played into that as well.

Hmm... I just read your blog entry about your hair. If I were you, I wouldn't waste money on something like the Tangle Teaser.

Unfortunately, if the hep C treatment is going to cause hair loss (please keep in mind this doesn't happen to everyone - two very close friends didn't have this experience while on treatment), it's going to fall out even if you don't brush your hair. Of course you should be careful about tugging on your hair when you brush, but that should be standard hair care, not just when you're on hcv treatment.

I've also just finished looking through the rest of your blog. (Shoulda done that first, eh? lol) You sound like a lovely young woman with a good head on your shoulders. If I may, I'd like to give you a bit of advice (and I hope I don't sound like I'm treating you like a kid, that's not my intention even though I have a daughter who is older than you).

I know you have been given much conflicting advice as to how you're going to handle the treatment. Thing is, you won't know how you'll handle it until you do it. Like your worry about hair loss - it might not even happen to you. If it does, it will be temporary.

You might sail through it, but you might have a rough time. I'm glad you'll be doing it while living with your parents, one of whom has experienced the treatment first hand. You'll be in good hands.

I think the best piece of advice I can give you - or anyone else starting treatment - is to remember that it won't last forever, and if you get a sustained response, you'll never have to worry about hep c again. (Provided of course you avoid risk behaviours that may lead to reinfection.) Clearing hep C makes the difficult months well worth it.

Hang in there - you can do it!

Hugs,
Ann
xxx

PS - something I forgot to mention....

You said in one of your blog entries something about not relishing the idea of stabbing yourself in the thigh.

I don't have much fat (if any) on my thighs. I injected in my belly as a result. It was easier to pinch a bit of skin on my belly - the injections are meant to be subcutaneous, which means "under the skin" - to inject into.

If I were to inject into my thighs, I would have likely ended up giving myself intramuscular rather than subcutaneous injections, which likely would have hurt. The injections under the skin of my belly were painless, other than the initial pinch feeling.

I alternated between sides of my belly, just like you would alternate thighs. I thought you might like to know there are alternatives to thigh-stabbing.

[KelseyMcCann]

Thank you so much for your response!  I'm going into this with the belief that my hair will stay just where it is.   I've decided to just go with whatever happens since there isn't much I can do about side effects anyway.  The Tangle Teezer idea was just to try not to pull additional hair out if it starts to shed. But honestly, I'm probably too cheap to buy it. : )

[nickvol]

Hair loss at early age is a big issue which should be consulted with doctors and experts. First thing you should do is stop using any chemical shampoo which you are using and start using home made ingredients(no chemicals).