Why can chemotherapy cause hair to fall out?
Chemotherapy works on dividing cells, with cancer cells tending to divide more than other cells. However, the cells of the hair bulb also divide a lot, which explains why they are often destroyed during chemotherapy treatment. “These are certain chemotherapies which are alopeciant”, informs Aury Caltagirone, Personal Image Advisor at the Gustave Roussy Institute (Paris).
Will I lose my hair?
“Chemotherapy mixtures cause more or less severe alopecia depending on the nature of the hair, the histology of the cancer, the way a woman combs her hair and feeds herself”, informs Aury Caltagirone. What she observed in 30 years at the Gustave Roussy Institute: women who have very dense hair have time to see their hair fall out. Their hair is sparse but it is not too visible. On the other hand, women with sparse hair often see their hair fall out very quickly.
When does hair loss occur?
Hair loss often begins 2 to 3 weeks after the first chemotherapy, but for some people from the first chemotherapy session. Hair loss can be more or less intense and more or less rapid depending on the type of chemotherapy and the dosage of the treatment. “No one can tell you if your hair loss will be fast or not because it also depends on how your hair is doing”, emphasizes Aury Caltagirone.
Does it hurt to lose your hair during chemotherapy?
Hair loss can be itchy and stinging. “Women often complain of having a headache at this time, of having an unpleasant sensation like being passed a spiked brush over their scalp”, indicates the Image Advisor. “They are then relieved by cutting their hair”.
Can we limit hair loss?
“There are two schools in terms of preventing hair loss during chemotherapy: wearing a cooling helmet or cutting the hair to go until shaving. At the end of the treatments you can either let them grow and use a mask. ‘clay at the end of chemotherapy sessions “, informs Aury Caltagirone. Wearing a cooling helmet can delay, limit or prevent hair loss, but it is restrictive because it must be worn throughout the duration of chemotherapy. For some patients it can be difficult to bear. The short haircut is recommended with the use of the cooling helmet. “Cutting the hair makes it possible to avoid the gesture of passing the hands through the hair when the hair starts to fall out which will cause holes in the whole of the hair”, indicates the image consultant.
When will my hair grow back?
Hair grows back about a month after the end of chemotherapy treatments, an average of one centimeter per month. Hair can be different in texture and color. It is advisable to wait 4 months for dyeing the hair with a vegetable color, 6 months for remaking semi-permanent colors and one year for permanent colors.
What to do to facilitate hair regrowth?
“I have Gustave Roussy’s patients do exercises on the scalp to revive the blood microcirculation, mobilize the fixed muscles of the head and to hydrate the skin, says Aury Caltagirone. Protecting the hair during and after chemotherapy is also recommended. It is advisable not to wash your hair too often, to use a mild shampoo and let your hair air dry and to avoid coloring and perms like the heat of the hair dryer, hot irons. ..
Find out more: Cancer and Hair Loss Treatments Brochure, National Cancer Institute
Aury Caltagirone is the author of Knowing how to stay beautiful during and after anti-cancer treatments, Salutaire Editions, 2012
Read also:
- Lymphoedema: a post-cancer disease that affects 250,000 people in France
- Metastatic breast cancer: symptoms, diagnosis, treatments
- One year after breast cancer, one in six women stop treatment because of risk of relapse
- Breast cancer: hypnosis helps relieve pain
