Losing your hair

Certain chemotherapy drugs will cause some people to lose a little or all of their hair (alopecia) during treatment. When chemotherapy drugs travel through the body to kill fast-growing cancer cells, it also damages other fast-growing cells such as hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out.

Some people experience hair loss and others do not, even when they are taking the same drugs. While some drugs cause hair loss all over the body, others cause only loss of the hair on your head. If hair loss does occur, it usually begins within two weeks of starting chemotherapy and gets worse in one to two months. Your hair may come out in clumps that appear on the pillow in the morning or while shampooing or brushing your hair.

Hair loss is not permanent and re-growth may begin even before therapy is completed. Some survivors report that their hair grows back with a different texture or color.

Ways to Cope

• Choose a wig or toupee before treatment begins, so that hair color and texture can be matched.
  
• Be creative! Experiment with wearing colorful turbans or scarves – or try going bald.
• Get a prescription for a wig from your doctor and check with your insurance company to be sure that the cost of the wig is covered.
• Try on different wigs, hats and turbans until you find one you really like.
• Wear a hat or scarf outdoors in cold weather to prevent loss of body heat.
  
• If you choose to go bald, use a sunscreen, sunblock or a hat to protect your scalp from the sun
• You may want to avoid brushing your hair too much, or heating it with a hair dryer, electric rollers or curling iron to help reduce hair loss and damage
  
  

Would you like to talk with someone who has lost her hair? Call the YourShoes Support Center at 800-221-2141 and speak with a trained peer counselor who is a breast cancer survivor.

Resources:

The Wig Experience: A Patient's Perspective, page 22, of the Spring 2005 issue of Lifeline.

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