Bald

 

I feel lucky that having a visible difference my whole life has meant I wasn’t scared about how I’d look after losing my hair during chemo.
I really like it.

My head is a lovely shape.

I haven’t mourned my hair, even through it took so long to grow.

My scalp feels very soft, and doesn’t get too scaly.

The thing I am scared about is how long it might take for my hair to grow back, given that one trait of Netherton’s Syndrome (the type of Ichthyosis I have) is “bamboo hair”. Hair breaks off, often at the scalp, and takes a very long time to grow.

I used to have many bald spots growing up, and these got very itchy and sore. It took many years of using lots of conditioner, sulfate-free shampoo, and finding a good hairdresser to get my curls strong and long. As chemo has been so hard on my skin, and I don’t know what’s to come, along with already brittle hair, I’m nervous.

The dermatologist said I should start seeing some fuzz in about a month, especially now I’m off the chemo drug that causes hair loss.

I’ll continue to be gentle with my scalp and wear hats. Maybe I’ll create a vision board of people with voluminous curly hair!

While I’m looking forward to my curls growing back, I’m also pretty happy with my bald head for now. It’s been a surprisingly easy part of chemo.

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Image: a selfie of Carly, a now bald woman, with red skin. She’s wearing a purple jumpsuit with a purple and green mermaid brooch. She’s smiling.

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