Why Does Chemotherapy Cause Hair Loss?

Female hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy treatments for women with cancer. Chemotherapy and similar medical treatments, along with a host of other risk factors, can cause hair to thin or totally fall out. If are preparing to undertake a course of chemotherapy treatments and are worried about hair loss, a better understanding of chemotherapy medicines and what you can do with regard to the expected hair loss will help you know what to expect and how best to deal with it. It will also allow you to plan ahead if a medical wig may be something you will want.

How Does Chemotherapy Cause Hair Loss?

Although some people seem to think that cancer causes hair loss due to stress and the effects of the disease itself, this is not the case. Rather, people lose their hair during chemotherapy because it includes powerful medications designed to attack the cancer cells. While these medications help get rid of cancer, they are also incredibly aggressive and are known to cause a wide variety of side effects.

In addition to other side effects, such as mouth sores, fever, constipation, easy bruising, aches and pains, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, and more, chemotherapy causes hair loss. This is because chemotherapy not only attacks cancer cells but other rapidly growing cells in your body, which includes your hair follicles.

Therefore, chemotherapy can cause hair loss not just on your head but all over your body. No matter if it is your facial hair, pubic region, armpits, or any other areas of your body in which hair grows, chemotherapy may cause your hair to shed in large amounts.

Chemotherapy is an effective treatment of cancer that targets cancerous cells in the body. The medicines used have different modes of actions depending on their chemical makeup, but they all essentially work by damaging the cancer cells. Once damaged, these cells can no longer group or multiple. Unfortunately, chemotherapy often harms healthy cells including those responsible for hair growth.

Which Chemotherapy Medicines Cause Hair Loss?

Nevertheless, not all chemo drugs cause hair loss. Whether or not someone loses their hair during chemo depends on how their own body interacts with the drugs, the kinds of drugs being used, and the dosage. Also, hair loss can occur on small levels or can cause total baldness.

However, if there is a silver lining to this, it’s that the hair loss is usually temporary. In fact, many people recover from their cancer and chemo treatment and go on to regrow their hair in a way that makes it look like they never lost it.

Overall, if you are concerned or embarrassed that you are losing your hair due to chemotherapy treatments, remember that the most important thing is regaining your health. Once you have done that, there are plenty of methods that will allow you to regrow your hair and come back with a beautiful head of hair that will make others jealous.

Not all cancer treatments cause hair loss. It varies from patient to patient based on the risk factors as well as the medicines being taken. Chemotherapy medications differ by their chemical structure, mode of action and relationship with other medications. If you’re taking any of the following chemotherapy medicines, you may experience some level of hair loss:

• Alkylating Agents – damage the DNA in cells
• Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide)
• Hexalen (altretamine)
• Anthracyclines – anti-tumor antibiotics that bind to DNA to block enzymes
• Adriamycin (doxorubicin)
• Doxil (liposomal doxorubicin)
• Ellence (epirubicin)
• Antimetabolites – mimics the building blocks of DNA and RNA
• Gemzar (gemcitabine)
• Taxanes – stop cells from dividing
• Taxol (paclitaxel)
• Taxotere (docetaxel)
• Abraxane (albumin-bound or nab-paclitaxel)
• Vinca Alkaloids – stop cells from dividing
• Alocrest (vinorelbine)
• Navelbine (vinorelbine)
• Marqibo (vincristine)
• Vincasar (vincristine)

How Much Hair Can You Expect to Lose?

Chemotherapy and hair loss often go hand-in-hand, but that’s not always the case. If you’re wondering if you’ll lose your hair, it all depends. Some factors that influence the extent to which your hair may become thinner or start falling out include:

• Type and dose of chemotherapy medicines
• Existing medical conditions (e.g., thyroid disease, low iron)
• Nutritional status
• Stress levels

Cancer treatments may involve a single type of chemotherapy drugs or a combination of more than one type. This can have a bearing on how much hair loss occurs. For example, some chemotherapy is given in small dose on a weekly basis whereas stronger doses might be given every month. If you’re on a smaller dose, you may see very little hair loss at all. The stronger the dose, the more hair you’re likely to lose. Add in any of the other risk factors, and you may be more prone to full hair loss.

How to Manage Chemotherapy Hair Loss

Hair loss is usually a temporary side effect of chemotherapy that happens a few weeks following treatments. You could experience total hair loss within one to two months. Once treatments have stopped, your hair will usually start growing back within one to three months and take up to twelve months for full growth.

Talk to a Women’s Hair Loss Specialist Near You

Every woman’s situation is unique and different, which is why Transitions member hair replacement centers offer private, no-obligation consultations to help you select the best option for your particular needs and lifestyle.

Some women who experience their hair falling out as a result of cancer treatments are perfectly fine wearing a turban or scarf. But today’s modern wigs, especially made for women with a sensitive scalp and little or no hair are created using modern state-of-the-art technology and are virtually indistinguishable from your own natural growing hair. We encourage you to consider scheduling a private, one-on-one consultation with a Transitions member hair loss center specialist to explore your options and get all your questions and concerns answered fully and completely.

Solutions for Hair Loss & Thinning Hair

Whether you live in Columbus, Ohio, Long Island or New York City, or elsewhere, if you are experiencing the devastating effects of hair loss and would like to learn more about non-surgical hair replacement options available to you, we invite you to consider scheduling a free private, confidential consultation with an experienced hair loss professional near you.