Building Your Confidence In the Face of Hair Loss
- Supermodel Nicole Weider says she needs a wig after her hair “thinned a lot” amid stage 2 breast cancer treatment. She hopes the wig will help build her confidence while continuing her cancer journey.
- Hair loss is one of the most challenging stages of the cancer journey because hair is so closely tied to your identity. If losing your hair is a concern for you before cancer treatment, know you have options like wigs, hats, wraps, and scarves, among other things, to maintain your self-esteem.
- Scalp cooling devices such as the one Weider uses constrict the blood flow to the scalp; the caps limit the amount of circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects.
- Weider is a staunch supporter of getting multiple medical opinions regarding treatment, as it spared her from receiving the wrong chemo regimen. Her second oncologist thought her cancer was “much more treatable” than the first and provided additional treatment.
- Seeking a second or third opinion for your diagnosis and treatment plan is another aspect of advocating for your health and ensuring you get the treatment you need.
Popular Victoria’s Secret model Nicole Weider, 38, confesses hair extensions are no longer an option since her hair thinned so much amid stage 2 breast cancer treatment. While trying to offset massive hair loss, Weider brings along supportive fans as she shops for a wig.
“I still have hair, but it’s thinned a lot and now I can’t have my normal extensions in because it’s not thick enough,” Weider said in an Instagram post.
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“At first, I wanted extensions from them, but now the time has come. I need a wig,” Weider said.
“I’m still going to do the cold capping because it is working, I think, to prevent even more hair loss. Going through cancer treatment is no joke, and if a wig will make me feel more confident, it’s worth it,” Weider continued.
Weider noted she’s using cold capping, another name for cryotherapy. This involves wearing a special cooling cap before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment.
Scalp-cooling devices have been approved by the FDA recently, first for breast cancer and then several other cancers. That means wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment. The caps, which are tightly fitting and strap-on helmet-style, are filled with a gel coolant that’s chilled to between -15 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Essentially, the caps “cause vasoconstriction, or a narrowing of the blood vessels bringing blood to the scalp,” Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, explains.
WATCH: What is a scalp-cooling device?
By constricting the blood flow to the scalp, the caps limit the circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects.
The cold also decreases the activity of the hair follicles, slowing down cell division and making the follicles less affected by the chemotherapy medicine.
Dr. Julie 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 have been some safety questions when it comes to scalp-cooling, but Dr. Nangia says that when given to people with solid tumors (like breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancer), the devices are safe.
Helping Patients Cope with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Weider’s Cancer Journey
Weider was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer just before Thanksgiving last year. She discovered a “large lump” under her left breast. She admitted she initially ignored it until it grew in size, prompting her to see her doctor.
The doctor felt it and looked at it and told me it was serious enough to get a CT scan and have the images determined by a radiologist,” Weider said in an Instagram post. Test results revealed stage 2 breast cancer. Weider said the diagnosis was “the shock of her life.”
Her tumor was likely bigger than 2cm, and there were some lymph nodes impacted. She’s currently undergoing chemotherapy to treat the cancer.
“In a week and a half, I’m exactly halfway through my chemo regimen. The prayers are all working, but the big test will be to see how much or if the cancer is still in my liver, and I won’t know that until I get after my fourth chemo infusion,” Weider explained.
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One notable lesson Weider learned in her cancer journey was the value of getting a second opinion.
“I think about how the first oncologist misdiagnosed me with the wrong cancer, and I very might well have died this year if I went with her opinion because it would have been the wrong chemo medicine. It pains me because I worry this is happening to a lot of people who get cancer. I would have been on the wrong treatment and not know why it wasn’t working until it was too late,” Weider said in an Instagram post.
“Getting the 2nd opinion and having a new oncologist decide to do another biopsy where the cancer cells first started saved my life because she figured out that it was a much more treatable cancer, and I would be on a new treatment. It makes me mad to think about it,” she continued.
More on Getting Multiple Opinions
When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to ensure that your questions are fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.
“It’s important for you to actually educate yourself and be your own health care advocate,” colorectal surgeon Dr. Zuri Murrell previously told SurvivorNet.
“You should lead each doctor’s appointment with a plan,” Dr. Murrell adds.
In addition to ensuring you and your doctor align with your diagnosis and potential treatment, seeking other opinions is equally important.
Doctors do not always agree about whether your symptoms merit further testing and whether specific treatment methods work best for you.
Dr. Steven Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute and one of America’s most renowned cancer doctors, agrees.
“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care because finding a doctor who is up to the latest information is important,” Rosenberg previously told SurvivorNet.
“It’s always important to get other opinions so that you can make the best decisions for yourself in consultation with your care providers,” Dr. Rosenberg continued.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about how to keep your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
- What treatment will I be receiving?
- What side effects are associated with this treatment?
- Are there steps I can take daily to help minimize these side effects?
- What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
- Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
- Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and weight maintenance?
- I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Do you have any treatment recommendations?
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