Coping with Chemo: Chemotherapy Hair Loss
Chemotherapy could lead to hair loss all over the body. There are some drugs which could cause more damage than others. Depending on the doses taken some result in hair thinning while others could make you completely bald. However, most of it is completely temporary and you can cultivate some good habits and grow it all back quickly.
Why Does Chemotherapy Cause Hair Loss?
The process of chemotherapy involves the administering of powerful drugs that attack and destroy rapidly growing cancer cells. However, these drugs also attack other fast-growing cells in the body including the hair cells resulting in hair fall. The chemotherapy hair loss is not necessarily confined to the scalp but can happen with your eyelashes, eyebrows and armpits as well.
The chemotherapy hair loss begins 2-4 weeks after you start your treatment. You could lose your hair in clumps or it could be a slow process. The hair fall will continue throughout the duration of the treatment until a week after you stop your medication. The amount of hair that you lose and frequency with which it happens depends on the procedure of treatment. Hair fall treatment will be necessary if you continue to lose hair a month after you stop your treatment
How to Manage Hair Loss Due to Chemotherapy
Though it is difficult to ensure that your hair does not fall out during or after chemotherapy, you can adopt some measures to ensure that hair loss after chemotherapy is curtailed.
- No chemical treatments: It is advisable to be as gentle with your hair as possible during this stage. Do not bleach or perm your hair. Use the hair dryer as rarely as possible. This will help ensure that your hair stays on your head for just a little bit longer.
- Get your information right: Not all drugs will affect you in the same way, some will make you lose large tufts of hair while other will lead to slow loss. Ask your doctor in what way the medication will affect you so that you are better prepared to handle hair loss after chemo.
- Wear a gel cap: Caps filled with cold gel are effective in reducing hair fall in some people. The cold temperature constricts the blood vessels reducing the amount of chemicals that reach the hair follicles.
- Minoxidil: This is a drug normally recommended to treat hair loss. This could also possibly be used for hair regrowth after chemotherapy.
- Cut your hair short: Loss of shorter hair impacts the scalp in a lesser way as it is less visible. It is advisable to cut long hair to deal with chemotherapy hair loss.
- Protect your scalp: Use a sunscreen when you expose your hair to the sun when you are experiencing chemotherapy hair loss. Your scalp is more sensitive when you are undergoing treatment. So, no hair or less hair makes it feel colder.
- Wigs: Use a wig as it will protect your scalp apart from adding to your look.
- Caps and scarves: You can also try out caps and scarves as they are comfortable and could be used as a fashion statement.