Cancer has become a widespread disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Chemotherapy is a treatment that targets all rapidly dividing cells, unfortunately this includes both cancerous and healthy cells.
Hair follicles are some of the fastest-growing cells in the body; they are affected while undergoing chemo. While chemo works to eliminate cancer it also kills hair follicles. This causes hair to fall, some experience hair falls in clumps or in smalls amounts, this depends on how invasive the treatment is and how the body reacts to it. The type of chemotherapy drugs used determines how the hair falls. In some cases, only the hair on the head is affected and in some all of the hair on the body is affected.
It is important to offer those that undergoing chemo a lot of support and understanding. Chemo attacks the hair follicles and makes hair fall out, but it does not kill them. In most cases hair grows back, it just takes time While the hair grows back the scalp should be kept moisturized and protected with a headscarf or sunscreen can be used to protect against the harmful sun rays.
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By: Jiolka Peralta
