ALOPECIA (HAIR LOSS)
WHAT IS ALOPECIA?
• Alopecia is hair loss that can occur with certain cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
• Cancer treatments may not only kill cancer cells but also affect healthy cells in your body.
• Hair loss or thinning can occur on the head, face, and body with chemotherapy treatments. With radiation therapy, hair loss occurs only in the treated areas.
• Hair loss usually begins within 1 to 3 weeks after your first treatment.
• The amount of loss that you have will depend on the treatment you receive and the dose.
WILL MY HAIR GROW BACK?
• Hair will usually regrow after your treatment, except in cases of radiation given in doses greater than 6,000 cGY. You may notice some regrowth before the end of your treatment, but in almost all cases you will see regrowth by 3 months after the end of your treatments.
• Sometimes your hair may grow back a little different than it was before your treatments: it may be curly if it was straight, or gray if it was black, or thick if it was thin! Usually these changes are not permanent.
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