All about hair loss due to chemotherapy: causes, effects and prevention

The diagnosis of cancer can be devastating, both because of the prognosis and the struggle it entails. Nowadays, there are numerous treatments with antitumor drugs that have increased the survival of many cancer patients. However, it is well known to the population that they are not exempt from different adverse effects, including hair loss due to chemotherapy.

What is chemotherapy alopecia?

Hair loss due to chemotherapy is one of the most frequent side effects in cancer patients, as well as feared . It is estimated that more than 60% of patients undergoing certain chemotherapies may experience alopecia during and after treatment, with the negative impact on quality of life and emotional health that this entails, especially in female patients.

And hair has a great psychological and social effect, since it has always been a sign of identity for people, playing a fundamental role in the image we transmit to others . For all this, it is an important element when it comes to feeling attractive and losing it represents an alteration of our image and, consequently, of our self-confidence.

Effects of alopecia due to chemotherapy

Hair loss during cancer treatment not only abruptly negatively impacts the self-esteem of men and women, but also makes the disease visible when perhaps some people would like to keep it private.

In addition, this hair loss due to chemotherapy may be accompanied by symptoms such as itching, pain or increased sensitivity of the scalp .

Why does hair fall out with chemotherapy?

Systemic antitumor drugs or chemotherapy have a toxic effect on the hair shaft and bulb, that is, at the root of the hair, which results in a drastic arrest of the hair growth and renewal cycle with its shedding from the root.

The loss usually begins between 7 and 21 days after the start of chemotherapy and evolves progressively with striking hair loss that, sometimes, results in total hair loss approximately 2 months after the start of treatment.

Although hair loss on the head is the most striking and frequent, it can also affect hair in other areas such as eyebrows, eyelashes or body hair.

Alopecia or hair loss during chemotherapy treatment can also follow an androgenic pattern when the therapy is hormonal. Both men and women can suffer from it and it generates a hair loss similar to classic male baldness, that is, a hair loss focused on the central area and at the hairline caused by an alteration in the hormonal balance (due to excess androgens) due to the treatment.

But not all antitumor drugs cause alopecia . Nowadays there are drugs for certain cancers with an action on some specific cells and that do not produce the aforementioned toxic effect on hair cells.

Can hair be recovered again?

Hair loss due to chemotherapy is usually temporary and recoverable after completing the treatment. However, in around 10% of patients this alopecia can be permanent , due to permanent damage to the stem cells of the hair root due to the toxic effect of some chemotherapies. In fact, it is considered that it may be definitive if hair recovery has not begun after 6 months of stopping the treatment. In these cases the negative impact is greater, and can be devastating.

Although in most cases alopecia is temporary, in some cases the new hair may have differences from the previous one in terms of texture, color or volume .

Are there preventive treatments for chemotherapy alopecia?

Yes, for a few years now you can perform scalp cooling therapy . This technique involves cooling your hair before, during and after each chemotherapy treatment to reduce hair loss. Such cooling constricts the blood vessels of the scalp, thus reducing the amount of chemo that reaches the cells of the hair follicles and, therefore, making them less prone to its effects.

Cooling is carried out using a device called Dignicap, a cooling cap with patented integrated sensors that is composed of channels through which a cooling liquid circulates at a controlled temperature. This device has scientific evidence that supports its effectiveness in preventing hair loss due to chemotherapy .

What treatments can be used at the end of the chemotherapy cycle?

There are different treatments that can be used, always under the recommendation of a doctor specializing in dermatology and trichology and with the help of the oncologist.