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Cancer treatment and hair loss
Understand the link between cancer treatment and hair loss. Learn what to expect and how different therapies affect hair.
Learn more about:
- Overview
- Cancer treatments affecting hair
- Chemotherapy and hair loss
- Using scalp cooling during chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy and hair loss
Overview
Some cancer treatments can cause hair loss or hair thinning, which is called alopecia. Cancer treatments can also slow hair growth. Any treatment that acts on rapidly dividing cancer cells can also affect other rapidly dividing cells such as hair follicles (roots).
Whether you lose your hair or not can depend on the type of drug or drug combination you’re having; the dose; your reaction to the drug or drugs used; or your drug treatment in the past.
Hair loss can happen anywhere on the body, including the:
- scalp
- eyebrows
- eyelashes
- chest
- underarms
- face (beard and moustache)
- pubic area.
Before treatment starts, talk to your doctor about whether you are likely to lose your hair, and if so, the level of hair loss to expect.
Cancer treatments affecting hair
Treatment | Hair loss | Hair thinning | Slow hair growth |
Chemotherapy | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Radiation therapy | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Targeted therapy | ⬤ | ⬤ | |
Immunotherapy | ⬤ | ⬤ | |
Hormone therapy | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Chemotherapy and hair loss
Chemotherapy (also called chemo) is the use of drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. Depending on what type of chemotherapy you receive, you may experience complete hair loss, hair thinning or your hair may stay the same.
Chemotherapy drugs are usually given in cycles, and the amount of hair loss depends on the type of drug, the dose and the timing of treatment.
If hair loss occurs, it usually starts during cycle 2 or 3, although it can start after the first cycle. Eyelashes and eyebrows may take longer to fall out. Hair loss can happen suddenly or gradually. Before and while your hair is falling out, your scalp may feel hot, itchy or tender. You may find that the skin on your head is extra sensitive, and you could develop pimples on your scalp. Some people use scalp cooling to reduce hair loss from the head.
I thought I would keep my eyelashes and eyebrows. They fell out weeks after my hair – it was a shock all over again.
Nina
Using scalp cooling during chemotherapy
Some treatment centres provide scalp cooling or cold caps. Scalp cooling can reduce hair loss from the head by lowering the temperature of your scalp. This reduces blood flow in the scalp, which can lessen the amount of chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles on your scalp.
Scalp cooling doesn’t always stop hair loss, and can only be used by people having intravenous chemotherapy (through a drip). It works better with some chemotherapy drugs than others. Scalp cooling is not an option for people being treated for blood cancers or having radiation therapy to the scalp.
Scalp cooling involves wearing a cap connected to a cooling unit. You wear it before, during and for a while after the chemotherapy session. Some people find it uncomfortable or painful, so your doctor may suggest taking pain medicine beforehand. You may also feel cold so bring warm clothes. If you’re interested in scalp cooling, ask your treatment centre if it’s an option for you.
Radiation therapy and hair loss
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses controlled radiation doses to kill cancer cells or damage them so they do not grow, multiply or spread. If you have hair in the area being treated, you may lose some or all of it during or just after radiation therapy.
Hair will only fall out in the area of the body being treated. For example, if you are having radiation therapy to your head, you may lose some hair from your scalp; if your chest is being treated, you may lose hair from that part of your body. Hair regrowth or thickening may start within a few weeks or months after finishing treatment, but sometimes hair loss is permanent.
→ READ MORE: Managing hair loss
Podcast: Coping with a cancer diagnosis
More resources
A/Prof Rachel Dear, Senior Staff Specialist, Medical Oncologist, St Vincent’s Hospital, NSW; Gillian Blanchard, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Calvary Mater Newcastle, NSW; Cindy Cunningham, Head of Programs, Look Good Feel Better; Sharon Dreise, Consumer; Amanda Maple, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Mariad O’Gorman, Clinical Psychologist, Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre and Bankstown Cancer Centre, NSW; Tessa Saunders, Consumer; Maryanne Van Dal, Cancer Centre Volunteer and Wig Service Program Coordinator, Cancer Council WA; Gabrielle Vigar, Nurse Lead, Cancer Program, Royal Adelaide Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA.
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