I stopped radiation 4 weeks ago and just noticed today I have a bald spot on the back of my head. It's about 3" in diameter and is just above the hairline. I called the radiation nurse (I did not have Chemo) and she said it was where the radiation exited and it would grow back. I'm surprised I hadn't noticed this before because I did notice my back was quite red during treatment due to the radiation exiting.

I've read on other posts that if the hair loss is due to radiation, it won't grow back. Has anyone experienced regrowth? If so, how long did it take.

Hi Simple Gifts,

I had a beard when I started, and first the beard under my jaw disappeared, then the beard on my lower cheeks fell out in a spotty manner. I had radiation to both sides of my neck, about a week more on the left than on the right.

On the back of my head, I lost hair on both sides starting about mid-ear (the hair loss was like two circles so that I had a little bit of a widow's peak in the middle).

I'm 6+ months out, and I have grown a goatee. I shave every day, and the facial hair on my cheeks seems to have come back quite a bit, but below my jaw my beard is just a few hairs here and there (i.e., it hasn't come back much).

On the back of my head, the hair has come back quite a bit, but it's finer and not as thick as it was pre-radiation. The thinning is progressive, i.e. it's thicker at the top and thins out towards my neck, where my hair is almost gone similar to the facial hair below my jaw. Even though it's quite thinned out toward my neck, my new hair is thick enough that I can cut a hairline below my ears. I don't keep close track of it to know if it seems to be getting any thicker. I wear my hair very short, kind of a long crewcut, so there's not much overlapping hair to grow over the newer hair.

Best wishes,

Chris

I had some hair loss, too-in the back of my head (where the rad exited) and it has slowly started to grow back (I'm 9 weeks out of rad). Also, I lost all of my nose hair but it has completely grown back.

My hair thinned tremendously during treatments where the radiation hit it. I think I noticed hair regrowth about 2-3 months afterwards and about 6 months later it was back to normal.

Since I never kept a journal, (dumb me and it was almost ten years ago) I don't remember how long it took to grow back but my guess is about 6 months. Hairdresser just kept not cutting upper hair short over that area so it was not noticeable. I think it will come back.

Eileen

It will come back. I had hair loss on the back of my neck as well. It took a while for it to grow back (maybe about 6 months to notice some growth there) and it is more fine than it was before, but it's temporary.

Nelie

all the hair on the back of my head came back. my beard is patchier than it used to be but came back more than I expected it to.

About 2 weeks into treatment I completely stopped shaving. Now I have my mustache and goatee back, and I shave the rest about three times a week at this point. Hair got thin in the back but never completely lost it. Same as everyone above, everthing's thinner and patchier, but it's just hair. Doesn't affect my breathing!! LOL

Best Wishes,
Steve

Thanks for all your replies. It's been about a week since I noticed the hair loss and posted my question. Since that time, my bald area has increased. It is mostly on the side I received radiation. I'm surprised that 5 weeks out of radiation treatment, I'd be losing hair now. Since my hairdresser didn't mention it when I saw her 4 weeks ago, I now think all the loss has been within the past couple of weeks.

Don't stress!!! The hair folicles get all messed up in the radiation...

my beard turned DEEP BLACK!! (And I have red hair normallY!)

Also, the hair at the bese of my skull all stopped growing for a few months right after radiation, but now all my hair, including my beard is back to normal