How does chemotherapy affect your hair?

Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body, sometimes your eyelash, eyebrow, armpit, pubic and other body hair also falls out. Hair loss may occur as early as the second or third week after the first cycle of chemotherapy, It could fall out very quickly in clumps or gradually. Generally, you can lose about 50 percent of your hair.

hair loss

Fortunately, it is not permanent and it will takes about four to six weeks for your hair to recover from chemotherapy. In general, you can expect about a quarter inch of growth each month and you can expect to regrow a full head of hair six months to a year. Be prepared for your new hair to possibly have a slightly different color, texture, or curl.

Chemotherapy destroys cells. It works best against fast-growing cells such as cancer cells. However, there are other cells like hair follicle cells, that multiply just as quickly. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy drugs may not be able to discern the two, the drugs also attack the hair roots. The difference is that the normal cells will repair themselves, making these side effects temporary.