Overcoming Hair Loss
- Former talk show host Ricki Lake recently posted an empowering picture of her in a bathtub saying “these days are the best of my life” after she overcame hair loss.
- Though Lake’s hair loss was not related to cancer, she became an inspiration for cancer survivors for her positive outlook and journey to self-acceptance.
- It’s important for survivors experiencing hair loss to know there are people out there who want to show their support.
- Ovarian cancer survivor Stephanie Hess previously spoke with SurvivorNet about how her family cut their own hair in solidarity to help her cope with treatment-related hair loss.
- Meanwhile, Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, says talking to people who’ve been in similar situations can be immensely helpful.
The 54-year-old TV host and actress has long struggled with body image over the years. But she recently took to Instagram to share an intimate snap of herself in a bathtub with an inspiring caption centered around gratitude.
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“Hands down, these days are the best of my life,” she wrote. “54 1/2 years old (young!) Grateful for all that had to happen for me to get to here. A place of complete self-acceptance and self love.”
The mother of two also gave a shout-out to her husband Ross Burningham. The two got married in January 2022 after announcing their engagement in May 2021.
“Ross, you make every adventure the most fun ever,” she wrote.
Lake was previously married to Rob Sussman before divorcing and Christian Evans before his death in 2017. Her children came from her first marriage to Sussman.
Overcoming Hair Loss Like Ricki Lake
It’s great seeing Ricki Lake’s confidence soar after she opened up about her hair loss struggles in January 2020.
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“First things first, I am not sick. (THANK GOD.) I am not having a mid-life crisis. nor am I having a mental breakdown, though I have been suffering,” she wrote under a series of photos of her rocking a shaved head.
“Suffering mostly in silence off and on for almost 30 years. AND I am finally ready to share my secret.”
She said she had struggled with hair loss for much of her adult life, and it took an incredible toll on her.
“It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things. There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it. Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing. Not even my therapist/s over the years knew my truth.”
Coping With Hair Loss
Lake went on to explain that her hair was “never the same” after all the work she had done on it for her role as the original Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film “Hairspray.”
“From Hairspray to Hairless,” she wrote. “In my case, I believe my hair loss was due to many factors, yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions. Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether DWTS or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair.”
How Ovarian Cancer Survivor Teri Chow's Wig (& Humor) Helped Her Cope With Hair Loss
To cope, she tried wearing extensions and wigs, taking supplements and even getting steroid shots in her head, but nothing truly helped and she always felt “self-conscious and uncomfortable.”
In sharing her truth with the world, Lake began her process of healing and began to feel “Liberated and Free.”
“I know that by sharing my truth, I will be striking a chord with so so many women and men,” she wrote.
“I am not alone in this and my goal is to help others while at the same time unshackle myself from this quiet hell I have been living in.”
Although Lake’s hair loss was not cancer-related, many survivors chose to speak up and offer their support over the years.
#rickilake you look great!! While I do not share your thinning hair problem. I do know what it's like to loose my hair from a fight with ovarian cancer, after having very long hair. I felt the same, I am not my hair, I am me with or with out it. I think you look #beautiful https://t.co/XXesAvJxyc
Laurie (@firefly31565) January 3, 2020
“#rickilake you look great!!” one Twitter user wrote in 2020. “While I do not share your thinning hair problem. I do know what it's like to loose my hair from a fight with ovarian cancer, after having very long hair. I felt the same, I am not my hair, I am me with or with out it. I think you look #beautiful”
Hair Loss With Cancer
Chemotherapy-related hair loss generally begins about three to four weeks after starting chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment. It is usually temporary, however, and people can expect regrowth around four to six weeks after treatment has ended. However the color and texture of their hair might be different when it grows back.
Although hair loss can cause great distress, it’s important to know there are people out there who want to show their support.
Ovarian cancer survivor Stephanie Hess previously spoke with SurvivorNet about how her family helped her cope with treatment-related hair loss. After she shaved her own head, she saw many of her loved ones do the same in solidarity.
Making Peace With Hair Loss Stephanie Hess Shares Her Ovarian Cancer Story
"My cute 7-year-old son shaved his head about two weeks after I shaved my head," she said. "I had a nephew that was living in Las Vegas at the time, and he had shaved his head for me."
Two of her nieces also decided to shave their heads to show their support. Needless to say, all the selfless acts impacted Hess in a hugely positive way.
"I hadn't asked them to. I had no idea," she said. "I got a text with their shaved heads and I just cried and cried because it was so freeing."
Hess says other people dealing with hair loss should look into support groups to help cope with the experience.
Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, would likely agree since she’s told SurvivorNet that having support from others who've been in similar situations can be very helpful.
"The dread of losing one's hair can lead to sort of sleepless nights and you know, a feeling of anxiety," she said. "Talk to people who have been through it, get their advice, voice your concerns to your caregiver and see what they can do."
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are currently no treatments that guarantee your hair won't fall out during or after chemotherapy. Still, some treatments like the following may help:
- Scalp cooling caps
- Minoxidil (Rogaine)
With scalp-cooling devices, they were approved by the FDA in recent years – first in breast cancer and then in a number of other cancers.
Dr. Julia Nangia, a medical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine and a lead author on one of the major studies of the device, says 50% of women were able to keep their hair after four rounds of chemotherapy, and added "without the devices, 100% of patients lost their hair."
There has been some question of safety when it comes to scalp-cooling, but Dr. Nangia says that when given to people who have solid tumors (like in breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancer) the devices are safe.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you’re going through cancer treatment and experiencing hair loss, here are some questions you may consider asking your doctor:
- Are there any treatments to help manage or minimize my hair loss?
- What are scalp-cooling devices and how do they work?
- Do you recommend scalp-cooling devices?
- What other options are available to help me cope with hair loss?
- Can you recommend a wig-maker?
- I’m struggling mentally with my hair loss, can you recommend a therapist to talk to?
- How can I find a local support group with people going through similar things?
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