Chemotherapy and Hair Loss

Often when a person is diagnosed with cancer they are given chemotherapy treatments to help kill the cancer cells. For many people this is their only hope of recovery. The problem with chemotherapy is the fact that it is a very strong combination of drugs that not only kills the bad cells but it kills the good cells also.

Oddly, when most people are put on chemotherapy the thing they dread the most is chemo hair loss. Taking chemotherapy can produce some severe side effects such as severe nausea and fatigue. Most people who take this type of therapy do experience these side effects. Chemo and hair loss is another severe side effect that most people experience. Usually the hair loss from chemo is not just on the head but all over the entire body.

Chemotherapy affects all of the cells in the body and the cells that are found in the mouth, stomach, and in the hair follicles are very sensitive to the therapy. These cells multiply fast just like the cancer cells so they are the ones most affected by the therapy.

There are times when hair loss and chemo do not go hand in hand. Many things determine the type of drugs used to treat cancer such as the type of cancer, the severity, and the location. For some types of cancer, chemotherapy can be given without all of the severe side effects, but these types of cancer do not require very aggressive treatment.

For most people, the hair begins to fall out after the first round of chemo but others it takes two to three treatments. Some people will only experience thinning of the hair while others will experience complete baldness.

The good thing about chemo hair loss is that it is temporary. After the chemotherapy treatments are complete the hair usually begins to grow back. It may take longer for the hair to grow back on other parts of the body but usually the hair on the head starts to grow back quickly.

Another thing about chemo hair loss is that sometimes the hair that grows back is not the same as the hair that was lost. Sometimes it will grow back curly where it once was straight and sometimes it will change colors. Color changes tend to be prevalent in people who were partially gray before the hair loss. Many times the hair will be entirely gray when it starts to grow back.

It is important to take care of your head if you undergo chemo. The heat of the body is released through the head and often people who are taking chemo will tend to be cold. Keeping the head covered with either a wrap or a wig is the best way to stay comfortable during this time.