CANCER RELATED HAIR LOSS
Chemo Hair Loss - The Effects of Treatment
Cancer-related hair loss is a well-known side effect for treatments, medications, and surgeries. Treatments such as chemotherapy have a higher chance of causing hair loss in individuals. During chemotherapy all living cells come in contact with the drugs and hair will go into dormancy to protect itself. During the dormant phase, hair does not receive the proper protein and nutrients to thrive, as a result, the hair will stay in this stage until treatment is finished.
CHEMOTHERAPY HAIR LOSS
If a patient has a genetic predisposition to female or male pattern baldness, their hair will grow back in the form of the predestined hair loss. The first signs that you may have early stages of hair loss after chemo are to notice if the hair in the vertex and crown is still thin one-year post-op, or the temple region hasn’t grown in. Typically after 12 months, these areas of thinning are usually a sign of genetic hair loss.
Hair characteristics after chemo:
Feather-like
Baby fine or “Peach Fuzz”
“Chemo curls,”
Sparse hair regrowth in areas
Lighter or Darker Pigmentation
Patients typically see their hair grow back in 10-12 months post-chemotherapy.
If you or a loved one has suffered through cancer, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, you know how difficult it can be to transition back to “you” again.
Let the team at Wig Bank of America assist you with a wig or head covering you can enjoy as well as a sense of hope that comes with knowing you will be yourself again.
ALOPECIA AREATA
Did you know as many as 6.8 million people in the U.S. — 147 million people worldwide — are affected by alopecia areata with a lifetime risk of 2.1%?
Alopecia areata is a common disorder that causes hair loss. "Alopecia" is a Latin term that means baldness, and "areata" refers to the patchy nature of the hair loss that is typically seen with this condition.
In most people with alopecia areata, hair falls out in small, round patches, leaving coin-sized areas of bare skin. This patchy hair loss occurs most often on the scalp but can affect other parts of the body as well. Uncommonly, the hair loss involves the entire scalp (in which case the condition is known as alopecia totalis) or the whole body (alopecia universalis). Other rare forms of alopecia areata, which have different patterns of hair loss, have also been reported.
Alopecia areata affects people of all ages, although it most commonly appears in adolescence or early adulthood. Hair loss occurs over a period of weeks. The hair usually grows back after several months, although it may fall out again. In some cases, unpredictable cycles of hair loss followed by regrowth can last for years.
The hair loss associated with alopecia areata is not painful or disabling. However, it causes changes in a person's appearance that can profoundly affect the quality of life and self-esteem. In some people, the condition can lead to depression, anxiety, and other emotional or psychological issues.
(From Genetic Home Reference - Alopecia areata)