Understanding and coping with hair loss caused by chemotherapy

Chemotherapy causes hair loss in patients undergoing treatment for their cancer. Losing all the hair can be a harrowing experience. However, one can be comforted inthe knowledge it is hair that is likely to grow back once treatment has ceased.

Understanding chemotherapy hair loss

The idea of chemotherapy is to attack cancer cells in your body by using potent drugs. Sadly, the drugs have no capacity to distinguish which particular cells it should or should not attack. As a result, they may very well attack your body cells, including the cells found at roots of your hair. This is why you may often see cancer patients losing hair not only on their head, but also on their eyebrows, eyelashes and other places where hair grows.

The amount of hair you are going to lose largely depends on the doses of the chemotherapy drugs that are administered to you during a treatment. Cancer patients can notice rapid hair loss as early as 10 days after their first treatment. Hair can either fall out slowly or in clumps. Total baldness is another issue that can be a possibility.

Have a discussion with your doctor as to what you have to expect before, during and after your chemotherapy treatment.

Hair loss recovery

You would be experiencing hair loss during the entire chemotherapy treatment, which can last for an entire month. You can expect recovery from hair loss on the fifth week after your treatment. Re-growth rate is expected to be 0.6 centimeters each month. For most people, chemotherapy hair loss is a temporary thing. In half a year’s time, you can expect full recovery but you may notice that the color and texture of your hair may be a lot different from what it used to be.

Chemotherapy hair loss prevention

Although there are no guaranteed ways that can assure you the prevention of hair loss during chemotherapy, there are recommended drugs and method that may possibly help you. Here are two popular ones:

· Minoxidil- during the time of the treatment itself, monoxidil (rogaine) may prove not to show its effect. But studies show that cancer patients who applied this medication twice a day during chemotherapy and continually use it for four months more after the treatment experience a delay of hair loss during chemotherapy and have a faster re-growth rate after the treatment.

· Cryotheraphy- this is also referred to as scalp hypothermia. Ice packs can help slow down the blood flow on your scalp thus preventing chemotherapy drugs to takes its effect on your scalp’s cells. Over 50% of cancer patients who try this method find it effective. There is a major disadvantage in using cryotherapy. Since chemotherapy drugs are repelled in your scalp area, there is a possibility that cancer may recur on this particular part of your body.

Coping with hair loss

There is no sense in getting all frustrated with hair loss during chemotherapy. The best thing that you can do is to continually take care of your hair, no matter how few of it you may have.

It is your prerogative to sport the “bald-look” during the duration of the treatment. You can also use scarves or wigs to hide your hair loss. The important thing here is to protect your scalp at all times. Always carry out a positive attitude. Remember that your hair will grow back It only takes some time and a lot of your patience.

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