It is always assumed that cancer causes hair loss.
But here’s the thing: It does not.
Then why do we lose a lot of hair during cancer?
It is actually because of the treatment of cancer, not cancer itself.
No doubt, cancer is a very deadly disease that takes a huge toll on our health.
As of today, it has no cure in particular, but doctors have managed to treat it to extend the lives of cancer patients for a few years or decades. Sometimes, after treatment, patients can live the rest of their long and happy life.
Even so, it is not easy to treat the fatal disease. The treatment is very harsh. Especially, to the cells that are next to the focal point of cancer and other rapidly dividing normal cells of the body. The common parts of the body that face harsh side effects of cancer treatment are hair follicles.
Chemotherapy
Because our bodies are different, these treatments have different effects on different people.
Therefore, it is not true that all people receiving chemotherapy will experience hair fall and go bald.
Chemotherapy aims to control the dividing cancer cells and kill them with toxic effects.
But there are other cells in the body, like hair follicles, that divide rapidly.
These drugs have a destructive effect on those cells too.
It does not cause hair loss only on the head but also on other parts of the body like legs, armpits, eyelashes and eyebrows.
The severity of hair loss depends on the dose of drugs used and the duration of treatment.
Some types of chemotherapy are given in relatively lower doses once a week, while others are given once every 3-4 weeks in high doses.
It also depends on which drugs are used or which combination of drugs is used.
Some drugs and combinations are known to have more effects on hair fall.
Some of the most common chemotherapy drugs that cause hair loss are:
This does not cause permanent hair fall. Hair growth is resumed once the chemotherapy stops. However, the growth rate is slow and you might see a different texture and color in the new hair. This returns to normal over time.
To reduce hair fall during chemotherapy, people are trying newer methods like scalp cooling, cold caps and applying minoxidil before and during the treatment.
While minoxidil stimulates hair growth, scalp cooling and cold caps aim to reduce the blood flow to hair follicles so that the toxic drugs don’t affect them.
If you are experiencing a lot of hair loss during the therapy, you could always cut your hair short.
This will make the hair loss a little less obvious. You wouldn’t have to see long strands of hair falling in clumps. If the doses of chemotherapy are high, there is a great chance that you might lose all your hair. Cutting your hair short could be helpful by giving a gradual transition for you to adapt from long hair to no hair.
You could always use wigs, hats, or scarves to make the hair fall inconspicuous.
Radiotherapy
There are no drugs used in this therapy. High energy beams are directed against the cancer cells. These strong radiations penetrate the skin and reach the dividing cells and destroy them.
Although it aims to kill only the cancer cells, the surrounding normal cells (in this case, hair follicles) are also destroyed like collateral damage.
Radiotherapy causes hair loss only in that part of the body that is being treated. So you do not have to expect hair loss unless the radiation goes through your scalp.
Hair loss is usually temporary. Hair grows back after several months, but the new hair might be thinner and the texture different.
However, repeated and high doses of radiotherapy can cause permanent hair loss because it damages the hair follicles completely.
Hairpieces and wigs are good options if this is the case.
But if your scalp is tender, these might irritate you. In such cases, you could always go with scarves, hats, or bandanas.
These protect the scalp from the sun and give you a stylish look.
Targeted therapy or Immunotherapy
These are drugs that target specific genes and proteins that help in the growth, division, and spread of cancer cells.
Common drugs used include monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors like erlotinib.
Monoclonal antibodies inhibit a type of growth factor receptors, called EGRF (epidermal growth receptor factor). An example of this is Cetuximab.
These drugs do not cause complete hair loss. These mainly cause changes in the texture and color of hair. After targeted therapy, your hair might seem a lot thinner, curlier, and drier than usual. This might make the hair brittle and cause some hair loss due to breakage.
Hair fall is likely to start soon after you start taking the drugs. However, it takes several months after you stop taking the medications for your hair to start growing again.
Other examples of drugs used in this therapy are:
This type of therapy is used in cancers like Breast and Prostate cancer. It targets the cancer cells that use hormones to grow and divide.
It is also called Endocrine therapy.
Hormonal therapy also does not cause complete hair fall like that in targeted therapy. It causes a general thinning of hair.
The drugs in Hormonal therapy that might cause hair fall are:
With the ongoing physical and emotional stress during cancer, hair loss is like adding fuel to the fire.
It is best to be around your loved ones during those times. Cancer patients are very vulnerable at this point, so they should be looked after with a lot of love and care. The journey of the patient from before and after the treatment is life-changing. This might be felt strongly while looking into the mirror. One must never be disheartened but accept that it is nothing but an amazing new beginning. The changes in your hair due to hair loss should be considered as a new look for the new you.
But here’s the thing: It does not.
Then why do we lose a lot of hair during cancer?
It is actually because of the treatment of cancer, not cancer itself.
No doubt, cancer is a very deadly disease that takes a huge toll on our health.
As of today, it has no cure in particular, but doctors have managed to treat it to extend the lives of cancer patients for a few years or decades. Sometimes, after treatment, patients can live the rest of their long and happy life.
Even so, it is not easy to treat the fatal disease. The treatment is very harsh. Especially, to the cells that are next to the focal point of cancer and other rapidly dividing normal cells of the body. The common parts of the body that face harsh side effects of cancer treatment are hair follicles.
Chemotherapy
Because our bodies are different, these treatments have different effects on different people.
Therefore, it is not true that all people receiving chemotherapy will experience hair fall and go bald.
Chemotherapy aims to control the dividing cancer cells and kill them with toxic effects.
But there are other cells in the body, like hair follicles, that divide rapidly.
These drugs have a destructive effect on those cells too.
It does not cause hair loss only on the head but also on other parts of the body like legs, armpits, eyelashes and eyebrows.
The severity of hair loss depends on the dose of drugs used and the duration of treatment.
Some types of chemotherapy are given in relatively lower doses once a week, while others are given once every 3-4 weeks in high doses.
It also depends on which drugs are used or which combination of drugs is used.
Some drugs and combinations are known to have more effects on hair fall.
Some of the most common chemotherapy drugs that cause hair loss are:
- Cisplatin
- Cyclophosphamide
- Dactinomycin
- Daunorubicin
- Docetaxel
- Doxorubicin
- Etoposide
- Iphosphomide
- Paclitaxel
- Topotecan
- Vincristine
This does not cause permanent hair fall. Hair growth is resumed once the chemotherapy stops. However, the growth rate is slow and you might see a different texture and color in the new hair. This returns to normal over time.
To reduce hair fall during chemotherapy, people are trying newer methods like scalp cooling, cold caps and applying minoxidil before and during the treatment.
While minoxidil stimulates hair growth, scalp cooling and cold caps aim to reduce the blood flow to hair follicles so that the toxic drugs don’t affect them.
If you are experiencing a lot of hair loss during the therapy, you could always cut your hair short.
This will make the hair loss a little less obvious. You wouldn’t have to see long strands of hair falling in clumps. If the doses of chemotherapy are high, there is a great chance that you might lose all your hair. Cutting your hair short could be helpful by giving a gradual transition for you to adapt from long hair to no hair.
You could always use wigs, hats, or scarves to make the hair fall inconspicuous.
Radiotherapy
There are no drugs used in this therapy. High energy beams are directed against the cancer cells. These strong radiations penetrate the skin and reach the dividing cells and destroy them.
Although it aims to kill only the cancer cells, the surrounding normal cells (in this case, hair follicles) are also destroyed like collateral damage.
Radiotherapy causes hair loss only in that part of the body that is being treated. So you do not have to expect hair loss unless the radiation goes through your scalp.
Hair loss is usually temporary. Hair grows back after several months, but the new hair might be thinner and the texture different.
However, repeated and high doses of radiotherapy can cause permanent hair loss because it damages the hair follicles completely.
Hairpieces and wigs are good options if this is the case.
But if your scalp is tender, these might irritate you. In such cases, you could always go with scarves, hats, or bandanas.
These protect the scalp from the sun and give you a stylish look.
Targeted therapy or Immunotherapy
These are drugs that target specific genes and proteins that help in the growth, division, and spread of cancer cells.
Common drugs used include monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors like erlotinib.
Monoclonal antibodies inhibit a type of growth factor receptors, called EGRF (epidermal growth receptor factor). An example of this is Cetuximab.
These drugs do not cause complete hair loss. These mainly cause changes in the texture and color of hair. After targeted therapy, your hair might seem a lot thinner, curlier, and drier than usual. This might make the hair brittle and cause some hair loss due to breakage.
Hair fall is likely to start soon after you start taking the drugs. However, it takes several months after you stop taking the medications for your hair to start growing again.
Other examples of drugs used in this therapy are:
- Dabrafenib
- Dasatinib
- Ibrutinib
- Imatinib
- Nilotinib
- Sonidegib
- Sorafenib
- Vemurafenib
This type of therapy is used in cancers like Breast and Prostate cancer. It targets the cancer cells that use hormones to grow and divide.
It is also called Endocrine therapy.
Hormonal therapy also does not cause complete hair fall like that in targeted therapy. It causes a general thinning of hair.
The drugs in Hormonal therapy that might cause hair fall are:
- Anastrozole
- Fulvestrant
- Letrozole
- Octreotide (Sandostatin)
- Tamoxifen
With the ongoing physical and emotional stress during cancer, hair loss is like adding fuel to the fire.
It is best to be around your loved ones during those times. Cancer patients are very vulnerable at this point, so they should be looked after with a lot of love and care. The journey of the patient from before and after the treatment is life-changing. This might be felt strongly while looking into the mirror. One must never be disheartened but accept that it is nothing but an amazing new beginning. The changes in your hair due to hair loss should be considered as a new look for the new you.