Hair damage help!

[roubai]

I think the way the headgear on the Mirage Quattro pushes up on my hair over the night is really screwing it up. I've lost hair over the past few years, and the breakage is out of control. I'm probably going to get a lot cut off at some point, for the first time ever, but there's no point if it just keeps getting damaged. What can I do that does NOT involve covering my head every night (I would get migraines due to heat!) or sewing something (ha!)?

I have very long, wavy hair that, well, USED to be thick and isn't anymore (individual hairs are medium thickness, I guess). It used to be about my only vanity point and now I feel pretty sad about it.

And although going bald is a Dad-honored solution--he was halfway there before he was my age!--I'd really rather not.

Thank you!

(Even though it's what I settled on after trying many others, I kind of hate the Mirage Quattro. It's uncomfortable on my cheekbones, the side of my mouth, and the back of my head. I so wanted nasal pillows to work, but I have extremely sensitive skin, and it was a disaster.)

[chunkyfrog]

I put my hair into a high ponytail with a soft scrunchy, put on my mask and Zeo; then ease off the scrunchy.
My hair just has a little more lift when I comb it in the morning.
I so regret having it cut short several months into therapy. It was one of the dumbest things I've ever done.
Not going there again. (famous last words)

[SusieG]

I put my hair in a ponytail with a scrunchie. My hair does not seem to be as effected by the headgear that way.

[roubai]

Oh yes, I totally forgot to say what I do with my hair! I put it into a low loose braid every night (a ponytail makes a lump at the back of my head that I can't deal with). But the headgear still seems to strain up against my hair.

I could try making the braid higher, I guess...

[kaiasgram]

Hey roubai, you're almost a neighbor! What nasal pillow masks did you try? They vary a lot -- I found the Swift FX irritated my skin too much, but the Aloha does not irritate it significantly and I've been using it for over seven months. A sleep tech told me that it has to do with different manufacturers using different grades of silicone. The headgear is minimal and so hair breakage is minimal too.

[roubai]

Hi, kaiasgram! It was the Swift ones. I used gel, but it didn't help at all. I can ask my doctor to prescribe the Aloha ones, I expect. I have narrow nostrils and sensitive skin --- everything bothers my skin, haha.

[xenablue]

I found the best way to stop the headgear messing with my hair (I found the silicone tends to break your hair), is to use a PapCap chinstrap or something similar.

This is a thin but firm cotton that works perfectly to keep your mouth closed, however I also use it without the chinstrap. OK, it flattens your hair a lot, but for me it's better than waking up looking like I stuck my hand in a light socket.

Cheers,
xena

[kaiasgram]

Hi, kaiasgram! It was the Swift ones. I used gel, but it didn't help at all. I can ask my doctor to prescribe the Aloha ones, I expect. I have narrow nostrils and sensitive skin --- everything bothers my skin, haha.

From what people tell me, very few DMEs carry the Aloha. If that's the case for you, you can fax a copy of your prescription to our forum sponsor, cpap.com, and buy one with return insurance -- if you don't like it, you can return it. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/devilb ... -mask.html It's currently on sale.

I also have pretty sensitive skin. I apply a little bit of 99% aloe vera gel every morning where the silicone contacts the skin under my nose and I've not had any problems.

[Pachyderm's Nose]

Now don't pick on my light socket look, I've had it for many years before pap. Now I have the light socket with the sideways reverse mohawk look, which I intend to copyright and charge BIG bucks for!

[JO'M]

I put my hair into a high ponytail with a soft scrunchy, put on my mask and Zeo; then ease off the scrunchy.
My hair just has a little more lift when I comb it in the morning.

I do the same thing. Sometimes I wear a buff at night or I braid it after I have my head gear on.

[xenablue]

[roubai]

Well, I'd have to use a chinstrap if I used the nasal pillows -- I forgot what a hassle that was.

However, the papcap would definitely give me a migraine :/ I just generate too much heat through my head.

(and ... wait, will HealthNet play nice with cpap.com? I'd do about anything to get out from under the thumb of Apria!!!)

EDIT: Oh, you mean buy directly ... oh well ... hmm, maybe someday, but not right now.

[chunkyfrog]

No, cpap.com charges way less than what the others do, which doesn't cover jacking with insurance.
They would be out of any network I would know of.
My deductible is so high, it only makes sense to go in network the year they are paying for something BIG.

[roubai]

Oh, I see. My insurance pays for everything 100%, so thus far it hasn't made sense to go out of network except for once when I went to a sleep apnea consultant for help finding a better mask and etc. Apria is pretty useless at that, and insurance won't cover it.

(I had years of no insurance before that, which wasn't fun.)

Who knows, though, even if Apria doesn't carry the Aloha, maybe somebody will trade for it so I can try it. I do have some extra, unopened things.

Alternative masks that I could have prescribed through my regular DME or other strategies are still welcome

Thank you!

[VikingGnome]

BRAIDING hair is what breaks it. I have very long, fine, silkly hair. I just part it on the usual side, pull half my hair through each side of the headgear. No knot on the back of my head to bother me. My hair just flows as it would if nothing was on my head.

I recently tried using a summer sports beanie (wicks away heat and moisture) under head gear and chin strap. Kept everything from shifting around and was not even warm on my head. Summer sports beanies have like a mesh on top and state "wicks away moisture". They are made by Nikki, Adidas, Under Armor, and other sports brands. Harder to find in winter but Amazon has one.