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Medical Video: Why Chemotherapy Cause Hair to Fall Out
Most people assume that chemo breast cancer drugs will definitely make hair fall. In fact, some alternative medicines do not have such a severe effect. A number of medicines do not make hair loss at all, or only cause temporary thinning of hair.
Usually hair loss will be seen in 2-3 weeks after you start chemotherapy. When the chemo is finished, your hair will grow back. Baldness only occurs in rare cases involving the administration of certain drugs in very high doses.
Hair loss occurs because chemo targets all cells that can divide very quickly. Hair follicles are structures in the skin that function to grow hair. Follicles are one of the cells with the fastest growth rate in the body. Under normal circumstances, outside the chemo procedure, the hair follicles will divide every 23 - 72 hours. However, while chemo works to destroy cancer cells, this procedure will also destroy hair cells. Within a few weeks after starting chemo, you may experience hair loss or baldness.
During chemo, hair loss may occur gradually or in large amounts at one time at a time; strands of hair fall out a lot when combed, a handful of hair loss that you find washed away while bathing, or while sleeping. During chemo, you will need a lot of moral and physical support from your close relatives. Some chemo drugs will only affect your head's hair. Other types of chemo may cause baldness, including eyelashes, eyebrows, armpits, hands and feet, even pubic hair.
The severity of hair loss depends on the drug and the support therapy used, and how long the therapy must be carried out. Every different chemo drug has a different effect.
The chemo period will also affect hair loss. Some routine chemo types are given weekly in small doses, which can minimize hair loss. Other therapies are given once every 3-4 weeks in higher doses.
What kind of chemo drugs cause hair loss?
Some chemo breast cancers that cause hair loss, including:
- Adriamycin ("A" in chemo CAF) causes baldness of head hair, usually during the early weeks of therapy. Some patients also report baldness on their eyebrows and eyelashes
- Methotrexate ("M" in chemo CMF) results in thinning of hair in a number of patients but not in general. It is very rare for patients who use methotrexate to experience baldness
- Cytoxan and 5-fluorouracil cause thinning of hair in a number of patients, but some have reported large amounts of hair loss
- Taxol usually causes baldness, including head hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, hand and foot hair, and pubic hair
Always consult with your doctor about the side effects of chemo cancer, especially hair loss. Ask for third opinion and support from family, close relatives, and health nurses. Remember that chemo loss is not permanent and your hair will grow back. Stay strong and believe that you will be able to get through these difficult times.
