COMPLETE Guide For Chemotherapy Effects and It's Treatment

Chemotherapy Cause Hair Loss

Alopecia

Hair loss during chemotherapy is also known as Alopecia. Cells in the hair follicles grow fast. Since chemotherapy damages fast growing cells, causes loss of hair. However, hair loss during chemotherapy is not permanent. Your hair will grow back once you are done with chemotherapy treatment. There are some drugs which causes thinning of hair while other drugs cause dramatic hair loss including the body hair and eye brows.

When you start your chemotherapy, hair loss begin at any time after few days to within few weeks. Once you complete your treatment, your hair will start growing back. It will take almost 6 months to regain full hair.

However, in terms of color and texture, your hair may be slightly different. So you need to arrange your wig before treatment starts.

There is way by which you can prevent as much of the chemotherapy drug reaching to your scalp as possible. This is achieved using a cold cap which acts to cool the scalp and restrict blood circulating in that area and thus reaching the follicles. There are different types of cold cap that are available in the hospital. You need put on cold cap fifteen minutes before chemotherapy and kept on during treatment and remove it after 1-2 hours after your chemotherapy. This does mean that your time in the unit is longer.

Patient’s pain

However, wearing cold cap is not comfortable for every patient. Everyone can not tolerate cold cap as it can feel very cold. However, tolerance or discomfort varies from patient to patient. Also failing to use cold does not affect outcome of your treatment. However, cold caps are not successful for all chemotherapy drugs. Consult with your doctor or medical team about using cold caps.

Hair loss during chemotherapy can occur at varying degrees and to different parts of the body. It depends on the type and combination of drugs used for the treatment. You can ease the pull of long hair on your scalp by having it cut into a shorter style before you undergo treatment. Here are some tips from patients to help you cope with hair loss if it does occur. When you start your chemotherapy, hair loss begin at any time after few days to within few weeks. Once you complete your treatment, your hair will start growing back. It will take
almost 6 months to regain full hair.

However, in terms of color and texture, your hair may be slightly different. So you need to arrange your wig before treatment starts.

  1. Do not use harsh chemicals and shampoo on your hair as scalp can
    become dry and itchy.
  2. Switch to gentler products.
  3. After six month of treatment, do not perm you hair for at least six months.
  4. Gently massage your scalp with a light moisturizer.
  5. Use a soft hairbrush to prevent irritating your scalp.
  6. Avoid nylon pillowcases as they can irritate the scalp. Use cotton as an
    alternative.
  7. Dry your hair naturally. Avoid hairdryers and rollers as they can further
    damage brittle hair.