Do you always lose your hair when you go through chemotherapy?!
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Not always, but more than likely you will.
Other Answers:
No, I had chemo for breast cancer, and my hair got a bit thinner but I didn't lose it .
It must all depend on which chemo you are given.
no.it is a POSSIBLE side effect.
You can eat the right foods to build up your strength. Stay away from people who have colds or the flu. Get the rest you need and pace yourself. Talk about your feelings to deal with any sadness, anger, or fear you may have. Work as a team with your health care providers. Knowing how to help yourself can make you feel more in control. These are just a few of the ways that you can help yourself and begin to feel in control again.
Your doctor recommends a treatment plan based on:
What kind of cancer you have.
What part of the body the cancer is found.
The effect of cancer on your normal body functions.
Your general health.
The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need to Know lists questions you may want to ask your doctor and helps answers many of the questions you may have about clinical trials. It also informs you about your rights and protections. For example, you are free to leave a study at any time. You may order the booklet by calling NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Some people with cancer want to know every detail about their condition and their treatment. Others prefer only general information. The choice of how much information to seek is yours, but there are questions that every person getting chemotherapy should ask.
This list is just a start. Always feel free to ask your doctor, nurse, and pharmacist as many questions as you want. If you do not understand their answers, keep asking until you do. Remember, there is no such thing as a "stupid" question, especially about cancer or your treatment. To make sure you get all the answers you want, you may find it helpful to draw up a list of questions before each doctor's appointment. Some people keep a "running list" and jot down each new question as it occurs to them.
Where Will I Get Chemotherapy?
How Often and for How Long Will I Get Chemotherapy?
How Is Chemotherapy Given?
How Will I Feel During Chemotherapy?
Most people can continue working while receiving chemotherapy. However, you may need to change your work schedule for a while if your chemotherapy makes you feel very tired or have other side effects. Talk with your employer about your needs and wishes. You may be able to agree on a part-time schedule, find an area for a short nap during the day, or perhaps you can do some of your work at home.
Under Federal and state laws, some employers may be required to let you work a flexible schedule to meet your treatment needs. To find out about your on-the-job protections, check with a social worker, or your congressional or state representative. NCI's publication Facing Forward: Life After Cancer Treatment also has information on work-related concerns.
Can I Take Other Medicines While I Am Getting Chemotherapy?
Give your doctor a list of all the medicines you take before you start treatment. Include:
the name of each drug
the dosage
the reason you take it
how often you take it
Remember to tell your doctor about all over-the-counter remedies, including vitamins, laxatives, medicines for allergies, indigestion, and colds, aspirin, ibuprofen, or other pain relievers, and any mineral or herbal supplements.
How Will I Know if My Chemotherapy Is Working?
What Causes Side Effects?
You may have no side effects or just a few. The kinds of side effects you have and how severe they are, depend on the type and dose of chemotherapy you get and how your body reacts. You should be given all the facts about treatment including the drugs you will be given and their side effects before you sign the consent form.
How Long Do Side Effects Last?
Hair Loss
Hair loss (alopecia) is a common side effect of chemotherapy, but not all drugs cause hair loss. Your doctor can tell you if hair loss might occur with the drug or drugs you are taking. When hair loss does occur, the hair may become thinner or fall out entirely. Hair loss can occur on all parts of the body, including the head, face, arms and legs, underarms, and pubic area. The hair usually grows back after the treatments are over. Some people even start to get their hair back while they are still having treatments. Sometimes, hair may grow back a different color or texture.
Hair loss does not always happen right away. It may begin several weeks after the first treatment or after a few treatments. Many people say their head becomes sensitive before losing hair. Hair may fall out gradually or in clumps. Any hair that is still growing may become dull and dry.
How can I care for my scalp and hair during chemotherapy?
Use a mild shampoo.
Use a soft hair brush.
Use low heat when drying your hair.
Have your hair cut short. A shorter style will make your hair look thicker and fuller. It also will make hair loss easier to manage if it occurs.
Use a sun screen, sun block, hat, or scarf to protect your scalp from the sun if you lose hair on your head.
Avoid brush rollers to set your hair.
Avoid dying, perming, or relaxing your hair.
Some people who lose all or most of their hair choose to wear turbans, scarves, caps, wigs, or hair pieces. Others leave their head uncovered. Still others switch back and forth, depending on whether they are in public or at home with friends and family members. There are no "right" or "wrong" choices; do whatever feels comfortable for you.
If you choose to cover your head:
Get your wig or hairpiece before you lose a lot of hair. That way, you can match your current hair style and color. You may be able to buy a wig or hairpiece at a specialty shop just for cancer patients. Someone may even come to your home to help you. You also can buy a wig or hair piece through a catalog or by phone.
You may also consider borrowing a wig or hairpiece, rather than buying one. Check with the nurse or social work department at your hospital about resources for free wigs in your community.
Take your wig to your hairdresser or the shop where it was purchased for styling and cutting to frame your face.
Some health insurance policies cover the cost of a hairpiece needed because of cancer treatment. It is also a tax-deductible expense. Be sure to check your policy and ask your doctor for a "prescription."
Losing hair from your head, face, or body can be hard to accept. Feeling angry or depressed is common and perfectly all right. At the same time, keep in mind that it is a temporary side effect. Talking about your feelings can help. If possible, share your thoughts with someone who has had a similar experience.
I hope that this helps.
Source(s):
National Cancer Intitute- http://www.cancer.gov/
i found a lot of additional information on this website and it is very easy to read w/out a bunch of technical terms. if you have any other questions this would be a great place to go.
No, not always. I took chemotherapy for breast cancer and never lost my hair! It got a lot thinner but it never fell out. Also, there is a new treatment where they put a cap on your head while receiving treatments and supposedly this helps with hair loss.
Please support your local breast cancer efforts! Think Pink and if anyone is going through cancer and needs a friend, just email me!
Think Pink!
Caryl :)
My lovely wife is currently going through Chemotherapy. She has several types of chemicals that the doctor is using. Her hair became very thin at the third week after her first round of treatment. She elected to get the remainder cut off and is beautiful. She has a wig and several turbans to keep her from being self concious when we go out. She has taken 7 rounds so far and there will be 2 more. In the four months since she cut her hair off, it has not grown and is the same length as when she cut it. But hair does not make the woman, the woman makes the hair.and if there is none, she is still as lovely as ever.
I hope this helps.
IMO it depends on two things, the individual and the type of chemo. I am on 5FU and avastin and four other chemo drugs. was on them all except for the avastin from Sept 04 to March 05, went to duke and they put me on the Avastin immediately. Both places told me if i was gonna lose my hair, it would start in about two weeks after the first chemo treatment.i held my breath. no hair loss on the first treatments..then when they put me on the avastin and one other new drug at Duke, sweated thru those two weeks again but the only hair i lost was body hair! Legs, arms and I can live with that! its grown back now but is a lot finer and thinner, still nothing to complain about. Ilost my eyelashes one time, they came back fuller, and my eyebrows one time, but they came back a LOT thinner! Go figure! Anyway, you may or may not lose your hair, its just a chance you have to take. There are wigs out there that look like so real you can not tell they are wigs, altho most of the women who have lost thier hair at the chemo lab i go to, only wear scarfs or hats till it comes back in. One lady i know has lost hers 5 or six times and she says everytime it comes back in its a diff. color! She was brown haired and now is a redhead, and has pix of her with blonde hair too! It doesnt seem to take long for the hair to grow back once it starts either, a lady at the center Monday has hair about an inch long and she said thats only about 5 weeks growth! I was hoping to be a blonde myself, or getting some cute wigs but have not got to yet! if they change me once the avastin stops working, then I might get to, who knows!
yes,, that is a normal side affect to chemo for everyone the doctors will tell you,,they told me.. ive lost my hair 2 times now.
You don't ALWAYS lose your hair (it varies between people and by type and number of chemo agents used), but I can tell you the physiology behind why it happens. Chemotherapy agents are cytotoxic, meaning they target rapidly dividing cells, like those in a tumor or other cancer. Hair follicles contain rapidly dividing cells in them that relate to the process of hair growth and formation. The chemo cannot tell the difference between cancer cells and other rapidly dividing cells, so therefore, many cancer patients who undergo chemo lose their hair.
Source(s):
A wide medical background
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