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Apart from attacking growing cancer cells chemotherapy drugs also attack the rapidly growing hair follicles in our body. In addition to your scalp, chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body. Sometimes it seriously threatens sensitive hair bearing areas like eyes lids, eyebrows, armpits, and pubic parts. Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely to cause hair loss than others and different doses can cause anything from a mere thinning of hair to complete baldness.
However, there is no need to worry about chemotherapy and hair loss. Most of the time hair loss from chemotherapy is temporary. You can assure to re-grow a full head of hair in six months to a year after you stop the treatment.
Chemotherapy and Hair Loss: Why It Occurs?
After 10-14 days of Chemotherapy treatment, your hair could fall like autumn leaves. In the process, you would notice accumulations of loose hair on your pillow, in your hairbrush or in your shower drain. Don’t panic, it would continue throughout your treatment and up to a month afterward.
Treatment is totally dependant on whether your hair has become very thin or you have become completely bald. But you generally need to lose approximately 50 percent of your hair before it’s noticeable to other people. It is quite normal that nearly four to six weeks will take for your hair to recover from chemotherapy. Be sure that your hair grows a quarter inch each month, following the chemotherapy treatment.
Hair Change
Following the chemotherapy treatment, your hair would start to grow back but will be slightly different from the hair you lost. But this difference is just temporary. Your new hair might have a different texture or color, for instance, it might be curlier than it was before or you might end up with gray hair until the cells that control the pigment in your hair begin functioning again.
Treatment for chemotherapy hair loss:
No treatment can guarantee your hair won't fall during or after chemotherapy. Concerning the treatment, the best way is to deal with impending hair loss is to plan ahead and focus on making yourself comfortable with your new appearance. Who knows you might get a new sexy and attractive look following the hair fall.
Many medical professionals have been investigating possible ways to prevent hair loss. But no solutions have been found effective. Scalp hypothermia (cryotherapy) is one of the foremost treatment using ice packs or similar devices. In the treatment the ice packs are placed on the patient’s head to slow blood flow to your scalp. In this way, chemotherapy drugs are less likely to have an effect on your scalp.
Scalp hypothermia works somewhat in 50 percent to 80 percent of people going through chemotherapy. But the procedure also causes a small risk of cancer recurring in the scalp. Thus, the area doesn't receive the same dose of chemotherapy as the rest of your body. Most people who try this treatment find it to be uncomfortable and very cold.
Drug Treatment
Another common treatment of hair fall during chemotherapy is Minoxidil (Rogaine). Applying Minoxidil, a drug approved for pattern hair loss in men and women, to the scalp before and during chemotherapy isn't likely to prevent your hair loss. Some research findings say that it may speed up your hair re-growth.
Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer applied Minoxidil twice daily throughout the chemo treatment and for four months afterward. With the treatment, the hair eventually fell but it took longer for the women to lose all their hair as compared to those women who didn't use the drug.
Wig Option
Why not a wig? Instead of using drugs and other harmful medicines, the best idea is to use wigs, scarves or other head coverings. It is up to you to select a head covering or other apparels to conceal your hair loss. But it's easier to plan for it now rather than later. Your health insurance might help cover the cost of a wig.
Chemotherapy and Hair Loss might be an associated problem but it is definitely not the end of it. You can always re-grow your tresses once the treatment is discontinued. However, it is recommended that you consult a registered medical practitioner prior to taking any drugs for controlling hair loss.
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