When do chemo patients lose hair

Contributing perspectives in this resource come from multiple cancer patients as well as Dr. Doug Blayney of Stanford Medical Center. 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. 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. Hair regrowth timelines after chemo vary, but many patients report hair regrowth beginning as early as a couple weeks after treatment , usually starting with thin or fuzzy growth.

Full normal hair growth rates may take up to a month or more. For some , the average is hair growth six weeks after chemo.

In some cases hair can carry a different color or texture after regrowth, which may be permanent for some patients. This is a very personal decision. Most The Patient Story contributors with longer hair said they wanted to cut their hair to avoid feeling a dramatic loss.

Many shared their fear of seeing large clumps of their hair on their pillows and on the floor; cutting their hair shorter helped them feel lighter and less anxious. This is meant to cut down the amount of chemo that reaches the cells in the hair follicles.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA in a February report , the scalp cooling system did save at least percent of the hair of women who were undergoing chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. Here are the key points from that study:. Three of 5 quality-of-life measurements, including feeling less physically attractive, showed benefit for women who received scalp cooling. Meaning This self-contained cooling system was associated with a lower risk of hair loss among women receiving non—anthracycline-based chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer.

So that was probably the most painful part. The cost depends on which company you rent from. There are so many styling options! Here are just a few favorites of our The Patient Story community:.

Keyla reminds us that you can look absolutely beautiful going out without anything on your head. May sound cliche but all you need is truly your confidence. Synthetic wigs tend to be the most popular because they are usually much cheaper and less required care than the other two choices. Wigs made of both material hit somewhere in between. There are non-profits and organizations out there that help specifically with providing free or partially-cost-covered wigs.

Here are some other resources:. As Dr. Chemotherapy damages fast-growing cells. One can predict what the side effects might be. The other fast growing cells are in the hair so many chemotherapies cause temporary hair loss because we damage those cells.

Summary: Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly growing cancer cells. Hair follicles have rapidly growing cells. The hair on the head tends to fall out more quickly than the other areas during chemotherapy. However, depending on which cancer treatment you undergo, you may experience hair loss on other parts of your body, including but not limited to:.

For Keyla Scrogham , who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the loss of the eyelashes and eyebrows bothered her most:. Radiation therapy that targets the head may lead to hair loss. Our The Patient Story contributors have a mixed response, but more than not have described feeling some sensation on their scalp when the hair begins to fall out. Arielle, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma , said it hurt when her hair began to fall out in this response :.

Your scalp hurts. At least for me it did. It was so painful. It was painful. No one tells you that. And to be able to anticipate some of it. There was a range of response in terms of how our The Patient Story community members were impacted by the hair loss. However, they also said they were relieved to shave it all off. For some, it felt like taking back some control in their lives. I did not understand my relationship with my hair until I was diagnosed. I think the times I broke down and cried over my diagnosis were triggered because I knew my hair was going.

When did you decide to cut your hair? I needed to kind of get control back a little bit. All of a sudden you lose your hair after the second chemo. These caps are thought to slow the flow of blood to your scalp. This may limit the amount of chemotherapy drug that reaches your scalp, reducing its effects on your hair follicles. According to a review published in the International Journal of Cancer, scalp cooling caps reduce the risk of hair loss in people undergoing chemotherapy.

This study found that other treatments, including the use of minoxidil Rogaine , were not effective. Some people develop headaches while wearing scalp cooling caps or find them uncomfortable to wear. Some studies have suggested that these caps might increase the risk that cancer will develop in the scalp later on, but a recent review published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment found the rate of cancer recurrence in the scalp was low among breast cancer survivors.

This was true whether people wore the caps or not. Shorter hair often looks fuller than longer hair. As a result, hair loss might be less noticeable if you have a short hairstyle. If you typically wear your hair long, consider cutting it before you begin chemotherapy. After you start chemo, hair loss might make your scalp feel itchy, irritated, or sensitive. Shaving your head can help ease the discomfort. Many people also prefer the look of a cleanly shaved head to partial hair loss.

If you feel self-conscious about hair loss, wearing a head covering might help. From wigs to scarves to hats, there are many options. Such coverings can also protect your head from sunlight exposure and cold air. If you think you might want a wig that matches your natural hair color, considering buying it before you begin chemotherapy.

This may help the wig shop to better match the color and texture of your hair. Try on different styles until you find one you like. 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. 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.

Chemo-related hair loss affects different people in different ways. For many people, it can be distressing. Antimetabolites impersonate the building blocks for RNA and DNA, keeping the genetic material from making copies of itself, so the cell can't divide. Adrucil fluorouracil and Gemzar gemcitabine are more likely to cause hair loss, while methotrexate is less likely to do so.

Anti-tumor antibiotics act on the ability of cells to make copies of DNA, inhibiting cell growth and division. Among these, Cosmegen dactinomycin , Adriamycin doxorubicin , and Idamycin idarubicin are more likely to cause hair loss, while Bleo 15K bleomycin , and Mutamicin mitomycin C are less likely to do so. Plant alkaloids topoisomerase inhibitors target specific enzymes that enable DNA strands to separate and make copies of themselves.

Among this group, more hair loss is seen with VePesid etoposide and Camptosar irinotecan and less with Novantrone mitoxantrone and Hycamtin topotecan. Other plant alkaloids are mitotic inhibitors. They inhibit enzymes that are needed for cell reproduction.

These include the taxanes made from the bark of the Pacific yew tree and vinca alkaloids derived from the periwinkle plant. These chemotherapy agents are more likely to cause hair loss.

They include Taxol paclitaxel , Taxotere docetaxel , Ellence epirubicin , Ixempra Ixabepilone , Ellence epirubicin , Vincasar vincristine , and Alocrest vinorelbine. Some people receive both radiation and chemotherapy treatments, and both can contribute to hair loss. Radiation affects hair only on the body area that is treated. This may mean the hair on that area is lost, but not the hair on your scalp although that may be affected by chemotherapy.

At lower doses, radiation hair loss is temporary, but at higher doses it can be permanent. Some of the newer cancer drugs are more precise in targeting cancer cells and may not result in hair loss. As well, there are varying degrees of hair loss, regardless of chemotherapy drug type and regimen. Instead, it may start after a few treatments. A study of people with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy found that Hair may fall out in clumps or seem like it is thinning as you lose a few strands at a time from all over your scalp.

Depending on the type of chemotherapy used, you could lose the hair on your head only, or also on all parts of your body, including the eyelashes and eyebrows , arm, legs, underarms, and pubic area. While hair loss may depend on the chemotherapy drug used and how the treatment is given, these choices are appropriately made to be the most effective against the type of cancer being treated.

One preventive measure is the use of scalp cooling. This can be done with ice packs, cooling caps, or scalp cooling systems used before, during, or after treatment.

This causes the capillaries supplying the hair follicles to constrict, so they are exposed to less of the chemotherapy medication. The effectiveness of scalp cooling is still being studied, but devices have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It seems to work best for taxane-based chemotherapy. Being gentle with your hair and scalp can help reduce hair loss and breakage, as well as prevent scalp irritation. With most types of chemotherapy, the cells in the hair follicles will regenerate enough to resume hair growth.

They normally go through a cycle of active growth, then rest. Chemotherapy sends more of them into the rest phase telogen , which usually lasts for days. Some people will note hair beginning to come back even before the end of treatment, but it is more common to see it growing back after two to three months.

At first, you may see light amounts of fuzz-like hair return, followed by thicker amounts of hair. By about six months after treatment, you may have enough hair to be able to style it. A study of people undergoing breast cancer treatment found that about half stopped wearing a wig by the one-year mark and only Still, some people do not see hair regrowth.

Some types of chemotherapy such as busulfan and cyclophosphamide have a higher risk of permanent hair loss. The effects of chemotherapy on the hair follicles can result in the regrown hair being a different color or texture, and having different waves or curls than before.

Hair loss is a consequence of cancer treatment that many people dread. There is no right or wrong way to feel about this hair loss or how you face it. It can strike at the self-esteem and emotional well-being of many people, while others can view it as a symbol of their fight against the disease.

Talk to your treatment team about your risks, options, and their recommendations. You can choose to wear a wig or head covering, or embrace the new look.