Chemotherapy hair loss is one of the numerous effects of this cancer treatment. Why does one lose hair during chemotherapy? Well, the drugs used in this type of cancer treatment are very strong, therefore very efficient in attacking the rapidly developing cancer cells. There are normal body cells with a rapid growth rate, and they are not cancer; the cells in the digestive tract and the hair follicles are the main examples here. The effects of chemotherapy on hair are not limited only to the scalp as the procedure affects the hair on the body, too. Unfortunately, eyelashes, eyebrows, armpit and pubic hair and other body hair may also fall out.
The variety of the drugs used in chemotherapy is incredibly high with hundreds of medicines available. Some of these will trigger chemotherapy hair loss more quickly than others, but some may not even cause such a side effect. The concentration of the drugs is another aspect to consider when hair loss is under discussion, as hair loss ranges from thinning to complete baldness. Thus, discussing the medication that will be prescribed with the doctor and nurse is very important as they are the specialists able to inform the patient on what to expect from chemotherapy.
In most cases you’ll start losing hair within ten or fourteen days after you start chemotherapy. It may fall out quite fast, gradually or in clumps. Hair loss usually continues throughout the treatment and even one month after it. Half the hair will be gone without one even noticing. Fortunately, in the majority of cases, chemotherapy hair loss is a temporary effect. Hair will probably grow back within six months to one year after the cessation of the treatment. Although the regrowth of the hair occurs in most of the cases, the new hair could be of a different texture and shade temporarily.
It usually takes about four to six weeks for the hair to recover from chemotherapy, and generally, the hair grows at a rate of about a quarter inch each month. The changes that took place in the hair follicles during chemotherapy will be obvious in the way the hair grows back, but in time, things will get back to normal. The color and texture alteration will be a first recovery sign and the hair will become what it used to be before the treatment the moment cellular pigmentation is functioning normally all over again. Unfortunately, chemotherapy hair loss cannot be prevented as none of the treatments available is completely free of such side effects.
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