Coping with hair loss and thinning

Hair loss due to cancer treatment can be very distressing. There are some practical things you can do to help.

Tips for possible complete hair loss

• Ask about a wig before you start treatment, so you can match the colour and texture of your real hair.
• If you are feeling adventurous, choose a wig for a whole new look – why not try the colour and style you’ve always wanted!
• Think about having your hair gradually cut short before your treatment starts – this might help you get used to seeing yourself with less hair.
• Some people shave their hair off completely to avoid the distress of seeing their hair fall out.
• Wear a hair net at night so you won’t wake up with hair all over your pillow, which can be upsetting.
• Keep your head warm in cooler weather – some people wear a soft hat in bed.
• Rub in oil or moisturiser if you scalp feels dry and itchy, try unperfumed products such as Epaderm, Hydromol or Doublebase.
• Try a moisturising liquid (emollient) instead of soap if your scalp is dry, for example aqueous cream, Oilatum or Diprobase.
• Protect your scalp by covering your head in the sun – your scalp is particularly sensitive to the sun.

Tips for hair loss or thinning

• Use gentle hair products such as baby shampoos.
• Don’t use perms or hair colours on thinning hair – colours may not take well and perms can damage the hair
• Use a soft baby brush and comb thinning hair gently.
• Avoid using hair dryers, curling tongs, hair straighteners and curlers on thinning hair and pat your hair dry after washing.
• If your scalp flakes or itches this means it is dry – use oil or moisturiser, not dandruff shampoo.
• Protect your scalp by covering your head in the sun.

Chemotherapy

Hair usually grows back once your chemotherapy has finished. In very rare cases the hair does not grow back. This usually only happens with very high doses of particular drugs.

Regrowth might take several months or longer and your hair is likely to be softer. It might come back a different colour and may be curlier than before. It will probably grow back at the same rate as it grew before chemotherapy.

Hormone therapy

Hair thinning due to hormone therapy could stop or slow within the first year of starting treatment. Or it should at least improve once treatment has finished.

Targeted cancer drugs

Within a few weeks of finishing targeted cancer drugs you should have:

• thickening of hair if you had hair thinning
• regrowth of hair if you had hair loss

With some targeted drugs, hair might start to grow before you stop your treatment.