What to wear on my head
 

So, Wednesday is the first time I'm flying since I lost my hair due to chemotherapy. I wear either a wig or a scarf. The wig has two very small metal buckles at the base of my head. I have PreCheck. I do not wish to go bald anywhere. What would you recommend I wear to avoid having the TSO tell me to remove what I have on? I would prefer to wear the scarf for comfort on the plane but I will wear whatever lets me get through security the easiest.

I hate that I have to even ask this question. Thanks for the advice.

First of all our best wishes, thoughts, and prayers for a great outcome from your chemo. My wife votes for a head scarf to get through security.

I would think that you're more likely to be asked to remove a scarf than a wig. The odds they will ask you to remove a wig are very low.

Thank you for your kind thoughts.

This is my dilemma. I would agree with you except for the tiny metal buckles at the base of my head. I'm concerned those will show up on the MMW or the metal detector but maybe not because they are so small.

They probably will show up, but once you tell the agent what set off the metal detector, they will probably want to take a quick look to confirm but are not likely to ask you to remove the wig. I've seen that sort of thing with a couple of religious women who had their long hair held in place with a bunch of bobby pins. Once the agent confirmed what set off the detector, they were allowed to pass without having to remove the pins. Lots of women wear wigs for religious, medical or other reasons. Here are links to a couple of online discussions that may help:
http://www.heralopecia.com/interact/...p/t-14166.html
http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/wear...pic348627.html
Best wishes

Remember that you can always ask to be screened in private if you wish. If you don't want to make your request out loud, print one of these in advance: https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/fi...n_card_508.pdf

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I forgot that there is more metal in the wig than just the buckles. I read the TSA website and they said scarves or wigs should be fine. Of course, TSOs don't always follow what the official policy is. I will report back my findings.

This may seem like a dumb question but could you just wear a beret?
 

I echo others when I wish you the best success for your treatment and recovery. Several of my friends who have gone through chemotherapy wear berets in lieu of scarves or wigs. Is this a possibility for you?

Thank you! I don't have a beret but I don't think that would cover the back of my head all the way. The headscarfs are not wrapped around the head but are gathered with elastic at the back of the head.

They look like this from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Sara-Chemo-Be...=chemo+beanies

Thinking more of specialized berets like these
 

Many cancer centers offer "chemo caps" to their patients without charge. I know this because I knit many for a local center. If you have time before your trip, check with the place you had your chemo.

Hoping your treatment was successful and that you will be as good as new as soon as possible.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...2009-chemo-cap

That's not me. I do have a couple of their pre-tied scarves and a baseball cap type that's full coverage. My favorite currently is a pretty patterned one made by Chemo Beanies.

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I didn't get any for free but I have several I've bought from Amazon and other places. I wish I got one for free! They get expensive! :) Thank you for your kind thoughts.

I PM'd you.

Just to report back for any women who search for information on this topic, the entire experience with TSA was a nonevent. I wore chemo scarves through security and did not get a second look. So, feel free to wear a scarf or wig. I don't know about a hat or baseball cap, though.

Glad to hear that you weren't hassled.

In your OP, you said you have PreCheck. For those who don't have PreCheck, a bit of caution:

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, you will transit the regular security checkpoint. Regular c/p's use either a Whole-Body Imaging scanner (WBI, often called the NoS here on FlyerTalk, sometimes called AIT by the TSA), or they may use a Walk-Thru Metal Detector (WTMD). The two scanners are completely different from each other, so they will react differently to your head coverings.

Either a wig or a head covering will definitely alarm the whole body imaging scanner. Metal or not makes no difference - the densities of wigs, scarves, and hats do not match human skin, so the WBI scanner will alarm on them.

If wearing an obvious head covering like a scarf or beret, it is extremely likely that you will be told, at least once, to remove your head covering before entering the WBI scanner. Whether you are allowed to keep it on after informing the TSA of your condition is something of a crap-shoot. If they don't notice that you're wearing a wig, they won't order you to take it off before you enter the scanner, but as I said, almost any wig will alarm the scanner.

Walk-thru metal detectors are a different animal. WTMDs alarm on metal only, so if your head covering (wig, scarf, or hat) has no metal, the WTMD will not alarm on them. However, before entering a walk-thru metal detector, you will probably be told to remove any obvious head covering, since a head covering could theoretically conceal a non-metallic threat like explosives.

If the TSA doesn't notice that you're wearing a wig, they won't tell you to remove it before entering the WTMD, and unless the wig has metal in it, it will not alarm the WTMD. However, metal buckles may or may not alarm the WTMD, depending on the total amount of metal in them.

Again, this is if you do not have TSA PreCheck and are transiting the regular security checkpoint.