Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment uses drugs, which stop or slow down the growth of cancerous cell. However, there are side effects associated with chemotherapy treatment. These side effects include nausea, sickness, vomiting, fatigue and many more. Hair loss during chemotherapy is also common.

Hair loss during chemotherapy is also known as alopecia. Cells in the hair follicles grow fast. Since chemotherapy damages fast growing cells, causes loss of hair. However, hair loss with chemotherapy  is not permanent. Your hair will grow back once you are done with chemotherapy treatment. There are some drugs, which cause thinning of hair while other drugs cause dramatic hair loss including the body hair and eyebrows.

Hair loss begins at any time after few days to within few weeks after you start chemotherapy. Once you complete your treatment, your hair will start growing back. It will take almost 6 months to regain full hair.

However, in terms of color and texture, your hair may be slightly different. Therefore, you need to arrange for your wig before the treatment starts.

There is way by which you can prevent as much of the chemotherapy drug reaching to your scalp as possible. This i can be done using a cold cap, which acts to cool the scalp and restricts blood circulating in that area and thus reaching the follicles. There are different types of cold caps that are available in the hospital. You need put on cold cap for fifteen minutes before chemotherapy, keep it on during treatment and remove it 1-2 hours after chemotherapy. This does mean that your time in the unit is longer.

However, wearing cold cap is not comfortable for every patient. Not everyone can tolerate cold cap, as it can make you feel very cold. However, tolerance or discomfort varies from patient to patient. Also failing to use cold cap does not affect the outcome of your treatment. However, cold caps are not successful for all chemotherapy drugs. Consult your doctor or medical team about using cold caps.

Hair loss during chemotherapy can occur at varying degrees and to different parts of the body. It depends on the type and combination of drugs used for the treatment. You can ease the pull of long hair on your scalp by having it cut into a shorter style before you undergo treatment.

Here are some tips for patients to help them cope with hair loss if it occurs

1. Do not use harsh chemicals and shampoo on your hair as scalp can become dry and itchy.
2. Switch to gentle products.
3. Do not perm your hair for at least six months after the treatment.
4. Gently massage your scalp with a light moisturizer.
5. Use a soft hairbrush to prevent irritating your scalp.
6. Avoid nylon pillowcases as they can irritate the scalp. Use cotton as an alternative.
7. Dry your hair naturally. Avoid hairdryers and rollers as they can further damage brittle hair.

Hair loss, a chemotherapy side effect can be treated easily by following a few simple to follow tips given here.