Why does chemotherapy cause hair loss?

Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs can cause hair loss, but hair may start growing again after chemotherapy treatment.

Cancer cells grow much faster than other cells in the body. Apart from this, hair follicle cells, mucous membrane cells, and blood-producing cells also grow rapidly. Chemotherapy drugs damage the RNA and DNA inside rapidly growing cells. Due to this, rapidly growing cells (cancer and others) are destroyed, that is, chemotherapy can destroy other cells along with cancer. This happens because chemotherapy drugs cannot differentiate between cancer cells and other cells. Because of this, during chemotherapy, along with cancer cells, hair follicle cells also start getting destroyed. In such a situation, hair fall starts gradually.

About 65 percent of people receiving chemotherapy experience hair loss. 90 percent of every person's hair is in one of the 4 hair stages, anagen, at all times. However, chemotherapy agents can affect these hairs. The choice of chemotherapy agent depends on the type of cancer -

1. Alkylating Agent
2. Antimetabolites
3. Anti-tumor antibiotics
4. Topoisomerase inhibitors
5. Hair loss timeline

It is not possible to stop hair loss during chemotherapy, because chemotherapy treatment also destroys healthy cells. Still, perhaps its severity can be reduced a bit by trying some measures -

• Giving a cooling effect to the scalp during chemotherapy can be beneficial. For this, ice packs cooling caps, etc. can be used during summer.
• Using Rogine can also help in reducing the severity of hair loss. However, it cannot stop hair loss, but it can reduce the time taken for hair to regrow.
• Repeated use of shampoo should be avoided.
• Use warm water to clean the scalp.
• Do not dry your hair by rubbing it, try to dry it by patting it.
• Use mild shampoo and conditioner on hair, which does not contain perfume.
• Avoid using any hair products like hair spray, gel, or oil.
• Keep combing or brushing your hair from time to time.
• Do not dye your hair and also avoid applying heat to your hair.
• Do not use curling iron.
• Also, do not use brush rollers to curl hair.
• Do not make any hairstyle by pulling hair.
• Try sleeping on a satin pillowcase.

(Read More - Which diseases cause hair loss)

Hair growth may resume 3 months after chemotherapy treatment ends. At the same time, hair grows completely in 6 months, but in some cases, permanent baldness occurs during chemotherapy treatment. After this, the hair does not grow again.

Additionally, hair that grows back after chemotherapy treatment may have a different color and texture. In this condition, the hair may become more curled and frizzy than before. People have experienced different hair growth after receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. 53 percent of people found their hair curly, while 58 percent of people also found their hair thin. At the same time, 38 percent of people's hair grew gray or white.

(Read More - Hair Fall Reasons in Male)

Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy. This happens because of the way chemotherapy works. Chemotherapy medicines destroy healthy cells along with cancer cells. Due to this, hair starts falling, but as soon as the chemotherapy treatment ends, after some time the hair starts growing again.

(Read More - Treatment of Thinning Hair)