Hair removal - help?

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ginabeewell
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Hair removal - help?

Postby ginabeewell » Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:48 pm

This Vecibix rash is the gift that keeps on giving, seriously.

I've been holding it at bay - almost - via twice daily Doxycycline and application of steroid cream.

Then came the day that one of my twins gleefully told me, "Mommy, you're growing a mustache!" Sure enough, on closer inspection I can see that the steroid cream has caused my whole face to be covered with fine black hairs. Super!

I tried a bleaching cream and was rewarded with a huge rash breakout shortly thereafter, probably due to the fact that I made my skin more sensitive and then took it to Sicily where it got plenty of sun and heat.

I'm guessing my skin is too sensitive to wax. It would take an eternity to tweeze. I saw on another board someone suggested Olay depilatory cream because it was for sensitive skin, but the product has since been discontinued and is selling for $95 on Amazon. Yikes!

Any other recommendations for what I might try?
49 YO mom of twins (11) lucky stepmom of 16/19 year olds
9/17/18 DX stage 4 CRC w inoperable liver mets CEA 931
Currently NED!

Join me on a lookback of my journey via my Strive for Five on Substack here:
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claudine
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby claudine » Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:57 pm

Unfortunately I do not have any suggestions, but that seems so unfair (not that anything is ever "fair" with this damn disease): on one side the treatment makes you lose the hair you'd like to keep, on the other it makes some unwanted hair grow! Reminds me of grass in the backyard - always ready to invade the flower beds but couldn't care less about large patches of bare ground :roll:
Wife of Dx 04/18 (51 yo). MSS, KRAS G12A, no primary

Tumors: L4 04/18; left adrenal gland & small lung nodules 03/19
rectum 02/22 (pT3 pN0 stage 2A); L3 09/22

Surgeries: intestinal resect. 05/18 (no cancer - Crohn's); adrenalectomy 02/20
L3-L4-L5 fusion and corpectomy 05/20; LAR 04/22; ileo reversal 09/22
L2-L3 fusion and corpectomy 09/22

Treatments: EBRT 04/18; SBRT 02/19; Failed adjuvant Xelox ; Folfiri/Avastin 03/19 - 01/20
adjuvant chemorad (Xeloda) 06/22; SBRT 11/22; Xeloda/Avastin since 01/24

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ginabeewell
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby ginabeewell » Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:09 pm

Claudine wrote:Unfortunately I do not have any suggestions, but that seems so unfair (not that anything is ever "fair" with this damn disease): on one side the treatment makes you lose the hair you'd like to keep, on the other it makes some unwanted hair grow! Reminds me of grass in the backyard - always ready to invade the flower beds but couldn't care less about large patches of bare ground :roll:


Seriously!! That's exactly how I feel!

The only good part about Vectibix is that it is making my eyelashes grow like crazy. I actually have to cut them! And my brows look great too. But most of me is a mess!!!

I had a list going for a little while called "cancer's little indignities" and this is right there at the top of that list.
49 YO mom of twins (11) lucky stepmom of 16/19 year olds
9/17/18 DX stage 4 CRC w inoperable liver mets CEA 931
Currently NED!

Join me on a lookback of my journey via my Strive for Five on Substack here:
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juliej
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby juliej » Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:22 pm

ginabeewell wrote:I had a list going for a little while called "cancer's little indignities" and this is right there at the top of that list.

One of the worst moments for me was when my toenails just peeled off in a bloody, gooey mess! :shock:

Thinning hair, blotchy skin, Avastin-induced bruises (which meant lots of "are you in an abusive relationship?" looks in restaurants), red and swollen hands/feet, nosebleeds, zero taste buds, etc, etc. etc. Cancer treatment deals a huge blow to your self-esteem. :(

How about threading? It would be faster than tweezing, but gentler on your skin than any chemical hair remover or bleach.

Juliej
Stage IVb, liver/lung mets 8/4/2010
Xelox+Avastin 8/18/10 to 10/21/2011
LAR, liver resec, HAI pump 11/2011
Adjuvant Irinotecan + FUDR
Double lung surgery + ileo reversal 2/2012
Adjuvant FUDR + Xeloda
VATS rt. lung 12/2012 - benign granuloma!
VATS left lung 11/2013
NED 11/22/13 to 12/18/2019, CEA<1

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ginabeewell
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby ginabeewell » Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:18 pm

juliej wrote:
How about threading? It would be faster than tweezing, but gentler on your skin than any chemical hair remover or bleach.

Juliej


Oh, that’s a good call. I’ve never done it before, but I think there is a place right in the lobby of my office building. Worth a try!!

Meanwhile, I’m glad I still have my toenails.
49 YO mom of twins (11) lucky stepmom of 16/19 year olds
9/17/18 DX stage 4 CRC w inoperable liver mets CEA 931
Currently NED!

Join me on a lookback of my journey via my Strive for Five on Substack here:
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Dionca
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby Dionca » Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:43 pm

Why not try an epilator or a razor. My Braun epilator has a few attachments, one of which is a razor, so you get two hair removal gadgets in one.
stage 3b T3 N1b MX 2/27 nodes (surgery 4/2015)
moderately differentiated
PNI - positive
LVI - positive
Folfox 12 sessions (w/out oxi for 11 & 12)
Neulasta with 3-12 due to low WBC count
CEA at diagnosis 8.6
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CEA after chemo 1.5 / 1.2 / 1.2 /1.2 /1.2 / 1.4 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.9 / 1.3 / 1.6 /1.4 /1.5
neuropathy
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Lee
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby Lee » Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:49 pm

How about NoNO, a hair removal device. I have found success with Finishing Touch, believe I got it hat penney's or sears a yr ago.

good luck,

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

AmyG
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby AmyG » Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:44 pm

Threading is a great suggestion. I love getting my eyebrows threaded, much nicer than wax! I would assume they could do an upper lip with no problem?
42 dx @ 9wks pregnant w/baby #8 8/18
Sigmoid colon resection 9/18
Adenocarcinoma, G2, T3N0M0..or so we thought
KRAS/BRAF wild
Liver biopsy is malignant, stage iv now boys!
Delivered healthy baby 3/19
FOLFOX + Avastin 5/19
CEA 167 to 24 after 4 rounds
Liver resection 8/28/19
NED!! CEA 2.3
CEA 5.8 idk wtf is up with that, but everything else is clear!
CEA 3.7 make up your damn mind...
CEA 1.5 that's a new low!

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ginabeewell
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby ginabeewell » Sat Jun 22, 2019 9:55 pm

AmyG wrote:Threading is a great suggestion. I love getting my eyebrows threaded, much nicer than wax! I would assume they could do an upper lip with no problem?


Sooooo.... I got my upper lip threaded today. The good news: it worked. The bad news: holy f%^# was that a painful experience!

I’ve had my eyebrows waxed before but never my lip. It must just be a super sensitive area because I think I have a high pain threshold and had to ask her to stop a few times so I could regroup. Can you numb or something before you go??

She didn’t feel great about doing the sides of my face with so much rash on them, and my the time she finished my lip, I wasn’t going to push the issue. I got home and handled the worst fuzz with a combo of razor and tweezers. It’s not solved but it’s better for now.

Where’s that bag of dicks?

Just had my husband give me a blood thinner shot and then coat my back with Aquaphor. But not until after my second trip to the bathroom to purge the Mexican I was so in the mood for a few hours ago. It’s been a super sexy evening here...
49 YO mom of twins (11) lucky stepmom of 16/19 year olds
9/17/18 DX stage 4 CRC w inoperable liver mets CEA 931
Currently NED!

Join me on a lookback of my journey via my Strive for Five on Substack here:
https://ginajacobson.substack.com

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https://www.weareallmadeofstars.net/col ... nt-journey

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AmyG
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby AmyG » Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:51 am

Oh gawd, that sounds like one shitastic evening!

Sorry about your lip. I know with my eyebrows there was never any pain involved! Are you happy with how it turned out though? As for numbing it....orajel? That has lidocaine in it, maybe that would help...or maybe they'd just wipe it off! :lol:
42 dx @ 9wks pregnant w/baby #8 8/18
Sigmoid colon resection 9/18
Adenocarcinoma, G2, T3N0M0..or so we thought
KRAS/BRAF wild
Liver biopsy is malignant, stage iv now boys!
Delivered healthy baby 3/19
FOLFOX + Avastin 5/19
CEA 167 to 24 after 4 rounds
Liver resection 8/28/19
NED!! CEA 2.3
CEA 5.8 idk wtf is up with that, but everything else is clear!
CEA 3.7 make up your damn mind...
CEA 1.5 that's a new low!

boxhill
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby boxhill » Sun Jun 23, 2019 9:15 am

Ginabeewell, that just sucks, I must say. Sometimes the indignities just pile up, don't they?
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
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6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
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6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED

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ginabeewell
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby ginabeewell » Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:18 pm

AmyG wrote:Oh gawd, that sounds like one shitastic evening!

Sorry about your lip. I know with my eyebrows there was never any pain involved! Are you happy with how it turned out though? As for numbing it....orajel? That has lidocaine in it, maybe that would help...or maybe they'd just wipe it off! :lol:


It looks way better. Only now I notice that there is a bluish shadow that extends down the sides of my mouth and underneath it. Kind of like if someone had a mustache and a goatee. If it’s hair, I think most of it is below the skin, because I don’t see much evidence of hair above. Then again, the threading made a major difference, way more than I expected - so maybe I had more hair there than I thought I did too??

#cancerproblems
49 YO mom of twins (11) lucky stepmom of 16/19 year olds
9/17/18 DX stage 4 CRC w inoperable liver mets CEA 931
Currently NED!

Join me on a lookback of my journey via my Strive for Five on Substack here:
https://ginajacobson.substack.com

All treatment details here:
https://www.weareallmadeofstars.net/col ... nt-journey

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ginabeewell
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby ginabeewell » Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:19 pm

boxhill wrote:Ginabeewell, that just sucks, I must say. Sometimes the indignities just pile up, don't they?


Yes, and I sort of feel like it’s not safe to complain anywhere except here where people get it...

It’s like, seriously? It’s not enough that I have to worry about my life but I look like a testosterone-laced teenager to boot? Ugh.
49 YO mom of twins (11) lucky stepmom of 16/19 year olds
9/17/18 DX stage 4 CRC w inoperable liver mets CEA 931
Currently NED!

Join me on a lookback of my journey via my Strive for Five on Substack here:
https://ginajacobson.substack.com

All treatment details here:
https://www.weareallmadeofstars.net/col ... nt-journey

My favorite posts here:
https://weareallmadeofstars.net/favorite-posts

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juliej
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Re: Hair removal - help?

Postby juliej » Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:08 pm

ginabeewell wrote:
Sooooo.... I got my upper lip threaded today. The good news: it worked. The bad news: holy f%^# was that a painful experience!

I wonder if you could use something like EMLA cream beforehand??? That's what I used on my port before they accessed it because I have super-sensitive skin. It's a prescription cream that contains both lidocaine and prilocaine so it does a good job of numbing the area if you put it on 15 min to an hour before a procedure. Might be worth asking your onc or his/her nurse for a prescription.

As for the bluish shadow, I bet it's because your skin is thinner and more fragile so it's showing more stuff below the surface. My skin became pretty "muddy" looking on chemo - weird splotches and rashy-looking things. Then, to add insult to injury, because of HFS (hand-foot syndrome, a side-effect of Xeloda), I had to start wearing really ugly, old lady shoes. :shock: Add in thinning hair and there were mornings I didn't even want to look in the mirror.

BUT you need to remember this: most side-effects are TEMPORARY. Actually, "this is all temporary" became my mantra for awhile while I stared in the mirror every morning at the devastation to my body. Once you've licked the beast, your hair will grow back, your skin will assume it's former glow, your taste-buds will fire back up, and while everything won't be exactly the same (I'm still missing 4 toenails), most issues will go away completely. Hang in there!

#cancerproblems #fuckcancer

Juliej
Stage IVb, liver/lung mets 8/4/2010
Xelox+Avastin 8/18/10 to 10/21/2011
LAR, liver resec, HAI pump 11/2011
Adjuvant Irinotecan + FUDR
Double lung surgery + ileo reversal 2/2012
Adjuvant FUDR + Xeloda
VATS rt. lung 12/2012 - benign granuloma!
VATS left lung 11/2013
NED 11/22/13 to 12/18/2019, CEA<1


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