Body Hair and Chemo

I tried to photograph my head hair but at least you can see my new brows

See my old brows? Those are all natural.

I have found that one question that few people are brave enough to ask but are curious about is the status of all your hair when a person is on chemotherapy. Although slightly rude to ask another grown-up about their pubic hair I'll admit that I'd be curious if I wasn't on the knowing end.

 About 10-14 days after your first intravenous chemo* you'll notice that your head hair is falling out more than usual but still within a range that isn't terrifying. Between days 14-17 it will come out whenever your head is touched and a lot will be falling out. You'll leave collections on your sink and your pillow as well as any hat you try on at the mall (sorry Lululemon staff.) After that you'll be motivated to cut or shave it because you'll start looking patchy and then you'll be baldish with a few strong hangers on.
After, at least, a month of treatment you'll notice that your armpits don't really need shaving anymore and that you have few leg hairs. I still have 20% of my arm and leg hair but it's very subtle also the pubic hair region is diminished by three quarters but not like a landing strip, you pervs. More like a badly tended lawn in Calgary that requires grass seed. There may come a day on this chemo, because it did on my last one, that you have almost no body hair left and that means no pubes, no leg hair, no nose hairs and I had only one eyeleash. I was on my last intravenous treatment for 11 rounds or 9 months and it didn't happen until halfway through. I also know that people pay many dollars to be hairless and yet, I found it kind of creepy so to each their own.

A bath in the shedding phase, after chemo

When you're hair grows back it comes back quickly and fairly thick. I needed to shave my armpits within a month of its return and my eye lashes were stubby but thick. Sadly, my eyebrows never came in as dark or as thick as they were before chemo but all my other hair returned to normal including my head. I know that some people have a change in texture or colour but that wasn't my experience. Now, are you happy to know this or completely grossed out?

*Intravenous chemo seems to be stronger than pill chemo as far as hair loss is concerned. I had all my hair during the 9 months I was on pill chemo but lost almost all when I was using chemo given by needle. It must target your fast growing cells differently because intravenous also affects your esophageal lining and gastrointestinal tract (other areas of fast cell turn over.)