Chemotherapy Hair Loss: How to Cope

Introduction

One of the hardest things a person will ever have to hear is the the word cancer, when it comes to a diagnosis of a collection of symptons.  Chemotherapy hair loss is one of the most recognized chemotherapy side effects.  It is very unfair that a person battling with a life threatening illness must go through this form of physical transformation, but it is the unfortunate truth that most of the chemotherapy drugs today all lead to some form of hair loss in many cancer patients. Chemotherapy hair loss is temporary and in most cases the hair will grow back once treatment had been completed.  In the meantime until the treatment has stopped, there are ways that you can manage this in the form of chemotherapy hair loss prevention.

Chemotherapy Radiation The Cause

The reason behind chemotherapy hair loss is chemotherapy radiation and the drugs used for this type of treatment tend to cause the cells which divide to grow and the hair to stop dividing.  This results in the hair shafts becomming thin and breaking as they leave the scalp.  This process can happen suddenly or gradually and can occur just days after the treatment has started or weeks after, it basically depends on the persons tolerance to the drugs and the drugs they are being treated with as some don't even cause hair loss.  Some just cause thinning and others cause dramatic hairloss including the body hair and eye brows.

Occasionally, some people go through chemotherapy hair loss when it is not expected and sometimes in other cases no hair loss occurs when it is expected.  However, your hair will grow back once treatment is complete although to start with your hair will grow back very fine, very like a babies hair. Your clinic nurse can arrange for you to have a wig before your treatment starts, or some people wear chemotherapy hair loss hats to hide there hair loss. After three to six months you should have regained a full head of hair although it may be slightly different to before your treatment in terms of colour and texture.

Chemotherapy Hair Loss: How To Manage It

Some people who know that they will lose their hair before they start their treatment will sometimes shave their heads to prevent them from going through the ordeal of losing their hair.  Some will also start to wear wigs right from the beginning of the cancer chemotherapy treatment to curb the impact of losing their hair, which is often covered by the hospital were their treatment is being undertaken.  Some people will also choose to wear scarves or hats, and some will prefer to show off their battle of cancer to the world, but it is important to know that there are chemotherapy hair loss solutions available. The most important thing to remember is there is no right or wrong way to cope with chemotherapy symptoms.  Whatever you feel comfortable doing is the right way.

When your cancer treatment has come to an end your hair will begin to grow back, and when it does this it can cause itchiness.  You can apply a cream or a moisturiser to help your scalp feel less itchy.  Try to remember that chemotherapy hair loss is a temporary condition, and these symptons are for a greater good in battling the cancer inside of you.

A great book that many people suffering from cancer find very useful indeed is Chemotherapy and Radiation for Dummies. It contains very useful information on tips to choosing the right oncologist for your chemotherapy treatment, as well as setting up a treatment plan, maintaining health after therapy, and locating support groups. It really does cover everything needed for any chemotherapy patient. Read more on Chemotherapy and Radiation for Dummies.

If you want to ask any questions or have discussions with other cancer sufferers and chemotherapy patients you will want to visit our fantastic forum. Here you can talk about anything related to chemotherapy hair loss, maybe you would like to ask were you can get the best wigs or ways you can cope with the effects of chemo, you can ask all these and more in our hair loss forum