Chemotherapy medications are highly toxic drugs that kill cancer cells. In addition to attacking cancer cells, they also attack normal cells because they are unable to differentiate between normal and abnormal cells. Hair roots are also affected...
Chemotherapy drugs given for cancer treatment affect all rapidly growing cells in the body, including the hair follicles. Hair loss may begin immediately after treatment starts or up to three weeks after, and it may be gradual or sudden, notes...
Hair loss is common among patients who are being treated for cancer. The loss of hair is not due to cancer itself but is a side effect of some of the treatments used for cancer, such as radiation and chemotherapy.
Cancer is real. It affects both adults and children alike. Treatment consists of chemotherapy or radiation, and while these treatments kill cancer cells, they also destroy good cells--including those responsible for hair growth. Kids are often...
Chemotherapy fights cancer by attacking the fastest growing cells in your body--which in some cases includes the cells in your hair follicles. For many people, the damage to hair follicles during chemo can result in weak or brittle hair, thinning...
Chemotherapy drugs target not only cancer cells, but any cells that divide rapidly, including those that make your hair grow. You can expect your hair to grow back after your last chemotherapy treatment, but it may be six months or even a year...
Head wraps are a creative and elegant way to cover your head if you are dealing with cancer, alopecia or hair loss from chemotherapy. Many cultures also use head wraps to signify their heritage and communicate a certain belief system. Others...
Mayo Clinic staff suggest that patients use their energy to keep healthy rather than being upset with how they look if they lose their hair (a condition called alopecia) during chemotherapy. But hair loss is still a concern for those fighting...
Hair loss happens for many cancer patients when chemotherapy drugs travel through their bodies to kill cancer cells. Hair loss is difficult to predict--some patients have it, and others don't. Hair loss related to chemotherapy usually occurs two...
Chemotherapy is a common treatment for several forms of cancer. Chemotherapy drugs are considered cytotoxic, which means that they are poisonous to cells. They prevent and interfere with a range important cellular processes that are required for...
Some cancer drugs cause hair loss in children as they attack fast growing hair cells along with the cancer cells they seek to destroy. In young children, hair loss seems less important than it does to teenagers. Before a teen begins cancer...
Hair loss affects men, women and children of all ages. Medications, hormones, diseases and genetics may cause it. The cycle of hair growth can last up to three years. Individual hairs grow approximately 1cm each month; four months into the cycle,...
Among the myriad causes of hair loss is exposure to certain chemicals. There are chemicals specifically for hair loss, which people use to get rid of unwanted hair. Certain drugs also cause hair loss as a side effect. And even chemicals that are...
Chemotherapy is the delivery of drugs to treat disease, most commonly cancer, and radiation therapy is the use of high energy ionizing radiation to inhibit the division and growth of cells (usually cancer cells). Both of these therapy options are...
Ironically, chemotherapy can cause constipation or diarrhea. Constipation can occur when patients are inactive, consume inadequate fluid amounts or become dehydrated due to vomiting. Increase your water and fiber intake, and ask the doctor if a...
If you've recently lost hair, buying a wig to wear can make you feel like yourself again. Or maybe you'd like to go for an entirely new you. Whether you're shopping for a wig due to hair loss from chemotherapy or for another reason, such as...
Diuretics typically are used to treat high blood pressure and edema, often due to excessive salt and fluid buildup in your bloodstream. You can experience many side effects from taking diuretics, including muscle cramps and general weakness,...
There are a variety of treatment options available for multiple myeloma, including novel therapies, stem cell transplantation, and unique combinations of drugs. The side effects of these therapies vary among individuals and depend on which...
Many men and even some women lose scalp hair as they age, usually caused by a hereditary condition called pattern baldness. Loss of body hair, however, is more rare. It is usually caused by an underlying medical condition or a reaction to drugs or...
Toxic chemicals make up chemotherapy medications. Cancer cells grow rapidly and divide uncontrollably, and these medications attack cancer cells and stop their division and growth. Because of the toxic nature of chemotherapy, normal body cells...
Radiation and chemotherapy are two types of cancer treatment, both of which cause hair loss. While the hair loss from chemotherapy occurs all over the body and is temporary, radiation treatment patients only lose hair on the parts of the body that...
The testicles are glands that produce male sex hormones and immature sperm. Testicular cancer almost always develops from the germ cells that produce the immature sperm, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The NCI also states that...
Losing your hair, whether it be on the scalp, under the arms, on the legs or in the pubic region, is an emotional and often frustrating experience for both men and women. The loss of pubic hair may be a sudden event, or it may occur slowly over...
Many people experience hair loss and baldness, especially as they get older. Baldness treatments and hair-loss products are a big market, although many products lack scientific evidence to support their claims. Some products use caffeine as a main...
Hair loss is a non life-threatening condition that is commonly associated with men. But women can also suffer hair loss. According to the American Hair Loss Association, women make up approximately 40 percent of American hair loss sufferers. There...
If you notice a few extra hairs on your pillow, in the shower or in your comb it may be nothing to worry about. The average head loses approximately 100 of its 100,000 hairs each day. A hair normally grows a half an inch per month for four and a...
Lung cancer is a disease that is treated with chemotherapy which can cause considerable side effects. The types of chemotherapy drugs used specifically to treat lung cancer have distinctive side effects that may be more or less severe than other...
Alopecia, commonly referred to as hair loss, can range from minimal hair thinning to complete baldness. Hair loss can occur when the hair shaft or follicles have been damaged as in the case alopecia areata, according to the University of Maryland...
Chemotherapy, an option for cancer treatment, halts the multiplication of cancer cells. It may also harm healthy cells, although those cells typically recover after treatment ends. Common side effects entail fatigue, vomiting, pain and hair loss....
