Will I Lose My Hair During Breast Cancer Treatment
Many people will lose either some or all of their hair as a result of treatment for breast cancer. People who have chemotherapy will often experience hair loss. Some other treatments may cause hair loss or thinning.
If theres a chance that you will lose your hair, your specialist, chemotherapy nurse or breast care nurse will talk to you before treatment starts about what might happen. This should also include information about any risk of permanent hair thinning or loss that could happen as a result of the treatment. As well as talking about practical issues such as caring for your scalp or wearing a wig, you can also discuss your feelings about losing your hair and what support might be available to help you adjust to it.
For some, losing their hair is the most distressing side effect of treatment. Find out more about coping with hair loss.
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How To Prevent Hair Loss On Chemo
For many people diagnosed with cancer, hair loss on chemo is an unfortunate side-effect of the chemotherapy treatment. And although on the face of it, it may seem a small price to pay to stop the cancer, it can have an enormous effect on a patients mental wellbeing and ability to cope and recover from their treatment.
Oncologists are traditionally trained to focus on the medical aspects of the condition, and for them, hair loss on chemo is often way down on the agenda. However, increasingly, oncologists and their teams of nurse navigators are becoming more mindful of the importance of holistically treating the overall wellbeing of the patient and not just the disease.
So, if losing your hair is worrying you, speak to your oncology team. They should be able to offer advice and, in many instances, signpost you to cold cap therapy, including Penguin Cold Caps.
Caring For Your Hair And Head
Here are suggestions on how to care for your hair and head while youre getting treatment. For more information, read our resource Hair Loss and Your Cancer Treatment.
- Wash and condition your hair every 2 to 4 days with a fragrance-free shampoo and a cream rinse or hair conditioner.
- Always rinse your hair well and pat it dry with a soft towel.
- Brush or comb your hair gently with a soft-bristle brush or comb. Start brushing or combing your hair at the ends and gently work your way up to your scalp. You can also finger-comb your hair by wetting your fingers with water.
- If your hair is long, you may want to have it cut short before you begin treatment.
- Try using hair products specially designed to cover bald spots and thinning areas of your hair .
Do not use the following things on your hair during treatment. They can be too harsh or pull on your hair.
- Hair spray, creams or oils, hair dye, bleach, relaxers, or permanents
- Clips, barrettes, bobby pins, pony tail holders, or scrunchies
- Hair dryers, curlers, curling irons, hot rollers, or a hair straightener
- Rubber bathing or swimming caps
Also, dont put your hair in braids, corn rows, or pony tails.
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How To Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy
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/ When Will My Hair Start To Fall Out
Generally hair loss sets in 2 to 3 weeks after the first course of chemotherapy. Some people lose their hair gradually, while others immediately start to lose hair in large quantities. By their second course of chemotherapy, most people are already wearing a wig, scarf or hat. Tip! Dont wait until your hair starts to fall out to find some chemotherapy headwear. It is a good idea to look for a wig or chemo scarves and hats before starting your chemo. Go to specialised hairdresser for a wig. You can buy chemo scarves, hats and headscarves in specialised shops, such as our Rosette la Vedette online store. Online shopping is easy because you can shop from the comfort of your own home. And during your chemo treatments you can easily order additional chemo hats and scarves in your favourite colours from your easy chair.
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Emotional Support During Hair Loss
Our hair can be an important part of our appearance and identity. It may be a way we express our personality. Often, when our hair looks good, we feel good. For some, losing their hair is one of the hardest parts of having treatment. For others, it is not as bad as they expected.
You may feel low in confidence, anxious or depressed. You may feel angry that the hair loss is a visible reminder of the cancer for you and for others. It may feel like you have to tell people about your cancer diagnosis when you dont want to.
All these different feelings are completely normal. Our information about the emotional effects of cancer suggests different ways to manage difficult feelings.
Hair Loss And Regrowth After Chemotherapy
Losing your hair during chemotherapy is not easy, but it can be easier to cope with if you have a better idea of what to expect.
Heres what cancer medical professionals and survivors told The Patient Story worked for them.
Contributing perspectives in this resource come from multiple cancer patients as well as Dr. Doug Blayney of Stanford Medical Center.
Hair Loss Background
When does hair fall out after chemo and how long does it take to grow back?
This varies person to person. Generally speaking, hair loss caused by chemotherapy happens around two to four weeks after the start of treatment or around the start of your second chemotherapy cycle. Often people may find they start losing their hair in clumps during a shower, while brushing hair, or discover it on their pillow after sleep.
The extent and pace of hair loss depends on a number of treatment factors, such as the type of chemo drug, dosage, frequency of treatments, and how the chemo is administered.
Be sure to ask your doctor and/or nurse about your chemotherapy regimen and whether its known to cause hair loss.
For the most part, thankfully, chemotherapy does not cause permanent hair loss. In rare cases, however, some higher-dose radiation therapy targeting the head may result in permanent hair loss.
Will hair look the same when it regrows after chemo?
Styling & Solutions
When should I cut my hair or shave my head?
Can cold caps or cooling caps prevent or lessen hair loss?
What kind of wigs are there?
Other FAQs
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Who Experiences Hair Loss
Not every person will lose his or her hair during cancer care. In fact, two patients taking the same medication may experience different hair-loss side effects. One patient may lose hair, while another doesnt. If alopecia does occur, the extent of hair loss varies widely depending on the type, dosage, frequency and method of treatment, as well as other individual factors.
In some cases, the hair may fall out, but become thin, dull and dry. When hair loss occurs, hair may fall out gradually, quickly, in clumps or entirely. The scalp may also feel tender or itchy beforehand.
Most hair loss is temporary, and hair will grow back after cancer treatment ends. Hair generally grows back within three months after chemotherapy ends and three to six months after radiation ends. Sometimes hair re-growth begins even before therapy is complete. Its common for hair to grow back a slightly different color and texture at first.
Baldness drug treatments, such as minoxidil, are not proven to be consistently effective to reduce or prevent hair loss caused by cancer treatment. In some cases, cooling caps, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for some patients, may help to protect hair cells from chemotherapy drugs. Cooling caps are designed to work by constricting cells, making it more difficult for the drugs to penetrate, and by reducing cellular activity in the hair follicles, making them a less likely target for chemotherapy drugs.
Protein Injection Could Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy
Hair-promoting hormone could work with all types of chemotherapy
GeraldMercier/Getty
Mice injected with a hair-promoting protein did not lose their hair during chemotherapy. The finding raises the hope that people undergoing cancer treatment can one day avoid this distressing side effect.
Hair loss is one of the most feared side effects of chemotherapy. One study of women with breast cancer found that around 8 per cent had considered refusing treatment to save their locks.
There are few options for people receiving treatment. Scalp-cooling caps freeze and constrict blood vessels to stop chemo drugs from flowing into hair follicles. But they are expensive, work for only 50 per cent of people, extend treatment by two hours and cause discomfort and headaches.
Other people have experimented with using the hair loss treatment minoxidil during chemo, but a randomised controlled trial found no benefit.
Part of the problem is our limited understanding of how chemotherapy damages hair follicles, says Sung-Jan Lin at National Taiwan University.
To address this, his team looked at the role of a protein called p53. This protein is activated during chemo and helps to suppress tumour growth, but may also suppress hair growth, since hair cells rapidly divide like tumour cells. A previous study found that mice missing the p53 protein did not shed their fur during chemo.
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What Causes Hair Loss In Cancer Patients
Chemotherapy targets cancer cells that divide rapidly. But some healthy cells in the body also divide rapidly, like those lining the mouth and stomach, and in the hair follicles. When cancer treatments, especially certain chemotherapy drugs, damage the healthy, fast-growing cells responsible for hair growth, alopecia may result. Radiation therapy may also cause hair loss in the specific area of the body being treated.
Although hair loss does not always happen right away, it usually begins within two weeks of starting chemotherapy treatment and progresses over the following two months. Hair loss in the area being treated with radiation treatment usually begins up to three weeks after the first treatment. Hair loss may continue throughout treatment and up to a few weeks afterward.
Hair loss may occur on the head and/or elsewhere on the body, including the face , hair on the arms, underarms and legs, and pubic hair.
Some Health Insurance Plans Cover Wigs
If you have health insurance, it might partially or fully cover the cost of a wig. Consider calling your insurance provider to learn if the cost is covered. In order to receive reimbursement, you will probably need to ask your doctor for a prescription for a cranial prosthesis.
Some nonprofit organizations also help fund the cost of wigs for people in need. Ask your cancer care center or support group for more information about helpful resources.
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Will Having A Hair Transplant Operation Help Me Grow My Hair
Even if you cannot prevent hair loss during the chemotherapy, you can grow your hair back after it. A Hair Transplant operation, during which some of your healthy hair follicles are collected and then applied to the area without hair, can help you grow your hair back. A hair transplant operation requires you to have some healthy hair follicles on your scalp. So, you may not be eligible for a hair transplant operation if you have no hair at all. You can consult our hospital to get the necessary information for a possible hair transplant operation via our website.
How To Prevent Hair Loss During Chemo
The chemotherapy works to attack cancer cells in the body. On the other hand, the therapy can kill the cells that make the hair grow. Hair typically begins breakup around three weeks along with the treatment.
Some individuals opt to inure this result by shaving the hair off before treatment. Many of us find this option to be more accessible. And then they use a hair replacement system such as a hair toupee or topper wiglet to hide their balding head.
use a toupee or topper to cover hair loss during chemotherapy
However, not everybody that undergoes therapy loses all of their hair as a consequence. In that case, you may want to try the scalp cooling cap. It can slow the blood flow to the scalp throughout treatments. It is not utterly effective. But this cap will assist you to keep more of your strands. Or else, go for a reliable toupee. It provides flawless coverage. Be sure you buy the one with good quality and safe materials.
Overall, home remedies, lifestyle, hairpieces, medication, and dietary changes can improve the appearance of your thinning hair.
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How Can I Stop Hair Loss During Chemotherapy
No treatment or medicine guarantees prevention from hair loss during chemotherapy. However, there are some ways that help you hide your hair loss or at least make your hair look denser. But before choosing a way to hide your hair loss you can try scalp cooling caps to prevent hair loss.
- Scalp cooling caps: Scalp cooling caps are one of the most preferred ways for stopping hair loss during chemotherapy. These caps fit the head of the patient tightly and keep the head cool. During each chemotherapy session, the patient wears this cap for 20-45 minutes. This process may help you prevent your hair loss to some extend during chemotherapy. However, these caps contain a risk of recurring your cancer in your head as it may prevent chemotherapy from curing the cells in your head area. Thus, before using one of these caps, you should definitely consult your doctor. These caps fit the head of the patient tightly and keep the head cool.