Posted By: craig3474 Facial stubble - 06-02-2012 08:59 PM
Its been 6 years now that i had a malignant tumour removed from my jaw and receieved chemo to the left hand side of my face and yet my facial stubble has not grown back at this side.

My friends joke with me and say 'well at least it dont take you as long to shave' and we laugh, although this is true, but because it doesnt grow, i have to shave the right side every day so i do not have just 1 side of stubble.

Do any of you guys have any idea when it possibly would grow back, if ever?
Posted By: ChuckF Re: Facial stubble - 06-02-2012 09:33 PM
Craig,
I'm eight years four months from my last radiation treatment, and there are still areas of my face and neck that are hairless. I'm pretty sure at this point that it's not coming back.
I had IMRT radiation, concentrated on the right side, and the hair on the right side of my face is pretty sparse, and it hasn't changed in years. There is virtually no growth below the jaw line, so the good news is that I don't have to shave my neck any more, just the left side of my face. You are right, it is a hassle to just shave one fourth of your face to keep from showing stubble on just one side. I switched to using an electric razor, so it goes much faster in the mornings.
The new normal isn't so bad...

Good Health,
Chuck
Posted By: Charm2017 Re: Facial stubble - 06-03-2012 12:21 AM
Craig

You did not mention whether you also had radiation. That is what usually does the trick on nuking the stubble.
I don't know about chemo doing it, it certainly could, but I just blamed the radiation for making my neck a shave free zone.

If it has been six years, IMO it's permanent but I could be wrong
Charm
Posted By: terrib Re: Facial stubble - 06-03-2012 12:31 AM
My husband is just 8 1/2 weeks out of treatment. It looked like he would not be shaving except for his mustache and sideburns that look like pork chop side burns if he doesn't shave (which I do not like). I was suprised this week that something is coming back on his chin, it definitely did not feel smooth like usual. He also does not need to shave his neck in back.
Posted By: TimD Re: Facial stubble - 06-14-2012 06:01 PM
I finished radiation on the left side of my neck April 28, 2011 and there is very little hair growth there. It's just as well since the second neck dissection and removal of a muscle left a bit of a divot that makes it tough to shave there even with an electric razor. For awhile the entire left side of my face didn't need much shaving, and it took 2 or 3 months for my goatee and moustache area to grow out.
© Oral Cancer Support - Survivor / Patient Forum