Data for cancer treatment balding.

Hair loss during chemotherapy can be devastating to many people's view of themselves and result in loss of confidence and motivation. Considering the literal life and death aspects of chemotherapy as cancer treatment, the loss of some of your hair logically should be a minor issue. However, as humans we don't always think very logically, and the emotional impact can be immense as it brings home the battle inside to a very real outside manifestation of illness.

Both men and women fear the chemotherapy induced hair loss as one of the worst side effects of treatment for them emotionally. Whether you hair will fall out, and to what extent it does, depends to a great extent on the type of medication and dosage of the medications that your treatment requires. Unfortunately, it is a frequent side effect of such treatments.

In a general sense the reason it occurs is similar to the same reason that chemotherapy can be effective in the treatment of cancer. The drugs attack rapidly growing cells which includes both cancer cells and the type cells involved in hair growth. The loss of hair is most often temporary and hair will grow again once the chemotherapy has been completed. Your hair will begin to grow again about one to two months after the end of chemotherapy, though the initial color and texture may be different than before.

There is no guarantee that hair will not fall when someone is treated with chemotherapy. There are, however, several treatments that may make the situation more manageable. There is some indication that Minoxidil may slow the rate of loss and encourage regrowth more quickly. Rogaine is a name brand that is well known. A method that is considered alternative is applying ice packs during chemotherapy to slow the blood flow to the scalp, with the intent of minimizing damage to the area. To some extent, there have been reports of this being effective. Some, however, some have reported it as uncomfortable and risk may increase for the same reason it preserves hair.

The effect of the alopecia on your life can be reduced if you anticipate by taking certain steps. It is not advisable to dye, color or bleach the hair before treatment, as this places further stress on the hair. It is worth bearing in mind that the visual impact of the hair loss, which accompanies chemotherapy treatment, can be reduced by wearing a wig, shaving the hair beforehand or cutting it short.