Chemotherapy For Cancer Treament And Hair Loss
Data for cancer treatment balding.
Many people dislike chemotherapy of cancer because of a side effect of hair loss. It reduces acceptance and demotivates the patient. When it comes to somebody's life and death, hair loss is a very minor thing and has to be neglected. But it is a human nature not to accept this situation logically. Instead, many people taking such therapy become emotionally disturbed and make this a very big issue.
The emotional impact of hair loss, one of the many horrid side effects of chemotherapy, is genderless. Effecting men and women, the amount of hair loss or even whether you may be affected is dependent on the type and quantity of medicinal treatment that the cancer warrants. Nevertheless, hair loss, unfortunately is a likely side effect.
In a general sense the reason it occurs is similar to the same reason that chemotherapy can be effective in the treatment of cancer. The drugs attack rapidly growing cells which includes both cancer cells and the type cells involved in hair growth. The loss of hair is most often temporary and hair will grow again once the chemotherapy has been completed. Your hair will begin to grow again about one to two months after the end of chemotherapy, though the initial color and texture may be different than before.
Chemotherapy results in hair loss and a number of methods have shown promise in minimizing this problem. Minoxidil (Rogaine being the best known brand) does not stop hair loss but it does help in slowing down the loss to some extent and also enabling faster re-growth of hair. Another fundamental method that exists is to apply ice packs to the scalp. This helps in slowing down the blood flow in that area thus reducing hair loss in that area. However the negative side is the increased risk of cancer in the area where ice pack is applied because of the slowing down of blood flow. Also this technique may be uncomfortable for some people.
You can lessen the visual impact of hair loss during chemotherapy treatments on your life by thinking ahead. Before beginning treatments, you should not do anything that could cause damage to your hair, such as coloring, bleaching or any other chemical process. Try to think ahead and decide if you are going to want to wear a wig during your treatments, or if you are simply going to cut your hair short or if you want to go ahead and shave your hair prior to treatment.
You can learn more about hair loss here: Hair Loss News. Check out our other hair loss articles including chemotherapy hair loss at http://Hair-Loss.Teach2.Us
Published September 16th, 2007