Wondering if anyone else has had a BIG bald spot from radiation. When I was reading about hair loss I heard like half dollar size. This is like almost the size of a tennis ball... It's getting harder and harder to hide it. I'm thinking about getting a wig. Has anybody else done this?
Hi Alyssa,
My husband had two HUGE bald spots from the radiation he got during his embolization, and they filled back in a few months after they appeared. He wore a hat to cover them until then. I’ve heard that wigs can be really uncomfortable, so you’d want to try one on before you bought it. Have you tried a lot of different styles of hats, scarves, and headbands already? Stores like Urban Outfitters (www.urbanoutfitters.com) and Forever 21 (www.forever21.com) have some stylish headwear that isn’t expensive.
JH
Hi Alyssa
I have 3 bald spots. If you look on my page you can see the photos.
I was lucky, the only one you could see was on top of my head as my hair length cover the other two. I have only just stopped wearing hats as my hair dresser has managed to cover it up and the fuzz has grown over the spot. It is winter in Australia, and I just went out and bought funky hats which kept the head warm as well. I did enquire about wigs, but the hats that are out at the moment one me over.
Do what you need to do to make you feel good. Relax, listen to your body and be very proud of yourself for what you have achieved.
Tammie
Thanks to both of you!! I might do the hat thing… I’ve never been the hat type of person… but then again I’ve never been the wig type of person either haha. I also have to see what my work will allow. I appreciate all the suggestions and am glad I’m not the only one. I also found I have a smaller bald spot coming in… I hope it wont turn into a big one. Knock on wood
I just posted a picture of mine on my page as well.
Alyssa,
My 6 year old daughter had a bald spot a month or so after radiation. After a few months it went away. It shouldn’t grow any larger than it is so if you can hide it then try wearing your hair a certain way but if it’s bothering you too much and you cannot hide it then wigs will work. I was 13 when I had surgery for my AVM and they shaved my entire head except for a small patch in the back. I wore a wig for a long time. Stay strong. Hair grows back very fast.
Oh and someone mentioned scarves. I’m really into scarves right now and this months Allure magazine has an article on how to tie a head scarf. You can get some really pretty and inexpensive ones at the dollar stores sometimes or any major dept store. Target has some cute ones this season too.
Alyssa
After both of my radiation treatments I had a big bald spot bigger than quarter size like they told me. It was hard for me to hide. I did not get a wig but my friends wanted to tattoo a smiley face there. lol Of course I did not let them do this. Not sure why this happens to some and not others. I am going through more embos right now and then they plan more radiation so I am sure I will be dealing with the baldness again. If you feel more comfortable with a wig I would do it!
I’ve had bald spots so many times from the radiation. Luckily for me they always end up at the back of my head, at the nape I guess. So wearing my hair down you would never know. But I always end up twisting my hair into a knot or up in a pony half way thru the day. I didn’t even know I had a bald spot once until I did just that and one of the ladies at work told me I had no hair underneath! Oops! Oh well… I guess I was probably more “ok” with it because I totally could hide it if I needed to, and it wasn’t like a “random” patch since it was at the bottom of my hair line.
Good luck with finding something cute. I agree scarves would be good. Specially really light weight ones right now with the summer. They do have super cute prints! There is a chain store that sells like ties and belts and such at the malls and they always have great scarves. And then with fall and winter coming you could totally get away with hats!