Does the Hair Grow Back after Chemo?

Does the Hair Grow Back after Chemo?

Intro

That’s the big question for so many.

Does the hair grow back after chemo?

Chemotherapy destroys rapidly dividing cells which include both cancer cells and healthy cells.

 Did you realize that some of the fastest-growing cells in your body are hair follicles. 

Normally, cells in your hair follicles divide every 24 to 72 hours. Within 1-3 weeks of your chemo treatments, hair follicles can be damaged and hair loss can happen gradually or fairly quickly.

After your last treatment, it takes several weeks or so for the chemotherapy treatment to leave your body and stop attacking your healthy cells. (Remember this. Later we will talk about these 68 days and how crucial they are to your long term hair growth)!

When Does Hair Grow Back After Chemo?

Understanding hair growth can help you better understand the regrowth process after chemotherapy. 

All hair goes through phases of growing, transition, resting, and new hair growth.

Generally, this is what most can expect to see after chemo treatments are complete:

3-4 weeks: Soft fuzzy hair forms

4-6 weeks: Real hair begins to grow 

2-3 months: About an inch of hair growth

3-6 months: About 2-3 inches

12 months: About 4-6 inches…..OR more!

What to Expect in Appearance and Texture?

Your hair may be a different color, texture, and thickness after it grows back after chemo. Once your hair starts growing back, it’s a thin fuzz that can be difficult to style because it may stick straight up and be very fine.

 Also, some hair follicles may enter the growth period before others causing the length of hairs on your head to vary which may make your hair look patchy. Eventually, your hair should settle into a more regular growth pattern.

You may have heard the term “chemo curls”, which is when you are experiencing hair that is curlier, more brittle, and less manageable than you originally had. There’s no way to determine if your hair will change texture after chemo or if it will be permanent. To help manage your hair, check out Belegenza Natural Hair Care’s Restore Hair: Dry, Brittle, Split Ends | Made Flexible Again! package

Tips for Hair Loss and Thinning

Hair loss during chemo is usually only temporary, so the question “Does the Hair Grow Back after Chemo?” is pretty certain!

Especially when you do the right things chemically free!

And because hair loss is so obvious, hair loss during and after chemo can be very upsetting.

Each time you see your reflection it can remind you of cancer. In fact over the past few years, the very idea of short or no hair is the signal that cancer is present.

Everyone responds differently to chemo and radiation-related hair loss. Some are devastated, while others decide to make it a new look that they know will be temporary. 

Check out these helpful tips for dealing with hair loss and thinning:

1. To help decrease the impact of hair loss during chemo, try a shorter haircut. This will start your process to seeing yourself with less length. 

2. Some report it was easier to deal with hair loss during chemo  by shaving their heads before their hair loss began. They say that it makes them feel more powerful about it–that THEY did it, not the chemo! 

3. Protect your scalp with a hat, scarf, or wig but not with silicone based moisturizers as “they” recommend. Caps and hats are especially helpful for men who are not likely to wear a wig. Just make sure they are not tight, thus slowing circulation to the follicles.
Gently massage and moisturize your scalp with a gentle, natural moisturizer. A perfect moisturizer is SpotLite Shine Serum.

4. Use a soft-bristle brush to brush your hair, and more importantly the scalp. This exfoliates the scalp which upon the major hair loss, you may find a considerable amount of “dead” skin layers. Brush and moisturize that off and keep brushing 2 times daily to increase the circulation especially when you are complete with your chemo and radiation treatments. 

5. Use a gentle, natural, and nourishing shampoo & conditioner. Stay away from SLS, silicones, salicylic acids, dandruff shampoos and such.  Belegenza Natural Hair Care has taken the guesswork out of which products are best for your hair & scalp! 
Check out Chemo Feel Better Look Better Package to address all of your hair and scalp care needs. (The 68 days after your last treatments are crucial for doing all the right things so that as many follicles begin their hair growth with certainty. Miss this window and it could cost hairs permanently. Yes, we’ve taken all that into consideration and are available to you by personal phone and text). 

6. Limit the use of hairdryers, flat irons, hot rollers, and curling irons. They can be damaging to your hair and increase breakage and hair loss. It’s better to let your hair dry naturally or use a cool setting on your dryer. But for those special occasions, have at it. Getting back in the world is most important in the long-term! 

7. Don’t perform chemical treatments on your hair (bleaching, coloring, keratin straightening treatments, perms). They are too harsh for your scalp and follicles especially in the 68 day period mentioned earlier. They can make your hair brittle and chemically burn the follicles causing permanent damage. 

8. Use a satin or silk pillowcase. This reduces friction and pulling of the hair. In fact, keep that pillowcase idea from now on!

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Does the Hair Grow Back after Chemo?