Do you always lose your hair with cancer??

Question

I know not all chemo's make you lose your hair, but even for the one's that do...cant you wear a cold cap or something? is there any way at all to keep your hair??

Answer 1

Most chemo patients lose all their hair during treatment. It does grow back after the treatments have stopped. There are some people that don't tho ( not really sure why, a doctor would have to answer that ). A friend of mine ( male ) went through chemo, and did not lose his hair. Some did fall out, but it wasn't even noticeable. To me, that would be the scariest part of having cancer. Like it isn't bad enough that you have cancer, then you have to go bald on top of that. I'm so sorry for anyone who has to endure that :-(

Answer 2

No; there isn't a way to keep your hair.  You will lose your hair on your entire body; not just your head.  

Answer 3

Most people lose their hair.  If this is the only thing that you are worried about, look at it from a more permanent point of view.  Yes your hair might fall out but it will eventually grow out.  If you don't have chemo, what is your chance of living?  If given the choice of life or being bald for a little while I would certainly chose life!!

Answer 4

No not always. I was fortunate enough not to lose my hair. It went thinner, but it's only noticeable to me and those close to me.

I did wish, however, I lost my body hair!!! Would have saved me from waxing for a while!!

Answer 5

You need to understand what chemotherapy does to understand why you will loose your hair. Chemotherapy drugs are powerful medications that attack rapidly growing cancer cells. Unfortunately, these drugs also attack other rapidly growing cells in your body — including those in your hair roots. Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body — not just on your scalp. Sometimes your eyelash, eyebrow, armpit, pubic and other body hair also fall out. Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely than others to cause hair loss, and different doses can cause anything from a mere thinning to complete baldness. Since the hair loss is from the chemotherapy drugs...no hat will keep the hair!

Answer 6

Cold caps are not used nor recommended here in the US. There is some suspicion that the reduced circulation, which obviously keeps the chemo from the scalp, might keep it from any potential cancer cells that may have found their way to the skull/scalp.

It's about killing the cancer, not keeping your hair.  

Answer 7

whos worried about there hair when you ve got cancer my dad had chemo but his hair didnt fall out just made him very sick

Answer 8

My step father has terminal cancer and his chemo only caused him to lose his hair on his legs. None of the hair on his head fell out. I think it may be different for each case.  

Answer 9

cancer doesn't make you lose your hair. The kemo theropy does.

Answer 10

A cold cap is an option, but not a very satisfactory one.

I decided against using one, and was glad I had when I saw a woman crying with the pain and discomfort of the cold cap she was wearing.

Using a cold cap adds a great deal of time to your chemo session - you have to wear it for a while both before and after receiving chemo. And, as I've said, it's uncomfortable and even painful.

Which might all be worth it if it kept your lovely head of hair the same as it was, but it usually doesn't. Most people I've known who've used it have lost some of their hair - up to half in some cases. And hair that remained was usually in such poor condition that they cut their hair really short anyway.

I'm sure some people have had a better experience, and I'm glad for them, but that's been the experience of people I've talked to in cancer support networks.

Most people who've been through chemo will know about association sickness, which you can continue to get months and even years after chemo; I know people who've used the cold cap who've had association sickness and headaches standing in front of an open freezer or giving kids ice lollies. One woman even said she got it when she saw a cyclist wearing a helmet!

All in all, not worth it in my opinion.

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/pl...

Answer 11

It depends on the chemo. There are lots of different ones. I had mayo, & didn't lose any hair although it stopped growing while I was having the treatment.

The other patients with hair loss just wore a hat or a turban.