Hello,
While I do not have Oral Cancer, my father was recently diagnosed with stage 3 Oral Cancer, likely from exposure to burn pits while he was in the military. He is going to have intense radiation treatment (proton therapy) five days a week for seven weeks, and chemo once a week. The thing is, he has a beard that he loves, it is a huge part of his identity, he is constantly compared to ZZ top. The idea of losing it temporarily for treatment was rough, but manageable. However, we were recently told that he is going to permanently lose his beard. This is going to sound dramatic, but this is probably the worst thing that could happen to him. It is going to devastate him to lose his beard forever. He was also told he will likely be getting a feeding tube, but he has said that doesn't scare him as much as losing his beard. He has been staying off the internet at his doctors recommendations, but I have been searching for any way to possibly preserve his follicles so that he will be able to grow his beard back. If anyone has any ideas or resources that could point me in the right direction, I would be so thankful. We are located near Atlanta but would be willing to travel if there was hope to save his beard. I know this seems small, but it really means everything to him.

I would also appreciate general recommendations on how we might be able to make the whole process easier on him. My mom is providing him with the emotional support that she can while my siblings and I are trying our best to do anything we can to help, it is just difficult to know how to support him right now. While he is bombarded with appointments right now, we do plan on making him to go to a cancer therapist, thought this may be after his seven weeks of treatment.

Any insight or advice would be helpful, I just want to help my dad as much as I can.

Dear Sharp Dressed Man,

Thank you for reaching out and I am sorry to hear of your father's cancer diagnosis. I went through radiation 4+ years ago but not Chemo. The radiation treatment did stop growth on my neck in certain areas. But, I can still grow a beard today if I wanted. The months immediately after treatment, I didn't have any facial hair growing. I don't think I shaved for at least a couple months after treatment but then it started to fill in. For me, I am unsure if a beard today would look as full or good as it did before radiation but I do have to shave daily now and have for at least 3+ years.

Everyone responds differently and it depends on the machine and what areas they are treating plus Chemo is another variable. Hopefully a few others who have gone thru similar to your father can comment better.

Staying active, consuming enough calories, keeping a positive mindset will help with recovery and getting your body back to it's new normal faster. I used a spreadsheet to track everything from meds, to sleep, to calories, to time with loved ones, to reading, to meditation, to activity (from walks, to Yoga, to eventually jogging, etc).

Sending my best to your sharp dressed man. Please keep us up to date on him.

Nels

My case is similar to Nels so I guess your dad won't have problems growing his beard after few months after radiation.