This is due to the loss or change of pigment and may result in hair that is white, gray, or another color that is different from your natural hair. Expect a change in hair texture. Your hair may initially be curly, coarse, or even fine like baby hair. Often, it is very curly, hence the name "chemo curls."
CHICAGO (Reuters) - When your hair turns white it is usually a sign of old age, but in advanced melanoma patients taking a new type of cancer treatment, it may be a very good sign, researchers said on Saturday.
Your hair can grow back an entirely different colour. Your perfectly beautiful brunette mop might grow back grey and vice versa. It's not uncommon to become a redhead after chemo when you were a brunette before.
New Color, Texture or Curls
Many people report having "chemo curls," or different hair color and texture when it grows back after chemotherapy. This is because the chemotherapy medications can remain in your body and cause your hair follicles to behave differently.
Hair usually begins falling out two to four weeks after you start treatment. It could fall out very quickly in clumps or gradually. You'll likely notice accumulations of loose hair on your pillow, in your hairbrush or comb, or in your sink or shower drain.
A return to normalcy is typical, but it takes a while – usually six months or so. “All who have done chemo do finally get back to normal,” Patricia said. “Treatment for breast cancer can take a whole year, but six months after it ends, life comes back – incisions heal, hair grows back, chemo brain fog lifts.”
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can cause your hair to fall out, but not all chemotherapy drugs make your hair fall out. It will usually happen within 2 to 3 weeks of starting treatment. Some chemotherapy drugs can make other hair from your body fall out, such as facial hair and pubic hair.
Most people say that initially following chemotherapy treatment their new hair growth does seem different then before treatment. It can take a while for new hair to fully regenerate and so the first hairs can often be finer and a different texture then before.
As a person completes chemotherapy treatment, they may notice changes to their hair for some time. One such change, known as “chemo curls,” causes hair to regrow curly after chemotherapy treatment. This is often temporary.
Chemotherapy drugs target cancer cells which stop or slow their growth. A person undergoing chemotherapy should avoid eating undercooked or raw food, interacting with actively infectious people, overexerting themselves, and consuming too much alcohol.
For most people who experience hair loss after starting chemotherapy, their hair almost always starts to grow back once their treatment is over. Sometimes hair may even start to grow back before treatment has finished. However, some people can experience permanent hair loss.
Henna and vegetable based dyes
You can ask your hairdresser to suggest henna dyes or vegetable based dyes for you. These are gentler on the hair than the other types of hair colouring. So hair specialists think it is safe to use them.
Genetic factors, stress, hair dyes, and other factors may contribute. The human body has millions of hair follicles or small sacs lining the skin. The follicles generate hair and color or pigment cells that contain melanin. Over time, hair follicles lose pigment cells, resulting in white hair color.
Losing hair color is 'a healing sign'
"I'm pretty confident to say if patients start to develop depigmentation after six to 12 months, they are going to have a durable response." Pavlick said that when patients were asked about their hair turning white, their stories were all the same.
When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color — like gray, silver, or white — as it grows. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin.
After chemotherapy, it may take several months for your hair to grow back. And your hair is likely to be softer. It might come back a different colour and be more curly. It will probably grow back at the same rate as before chemotherapy.
Consider trying minoxidil (generic Rogaine®)
These studies suggest minoxidil isn't great at preventing hair loss during chemotherapy, but can help speed up regrowth once you've finished cancer treatment.
Good sources of Biotin are; whole-grain cereals, seafood, eggs and dark green leafy vegetables. Vitamin A is known to keep our skin healthy by promoting the secretion of sebum. Sebum is an oily substance that moisturises the scalp, therefore reducing damage and promoting hair growth.
Fortunately, most hair loss from chemotherapy is temporary. Many patients experience an initial thinning or loss within 1-3 weeks of their initial treatment or dose of chemotherapy and by month three the hair loss is often complete.
Whether it's due to pain from a growing tumor, swallowing difficulties caused by radiation therapy, or the nausea, loss of appetite or mouth sores that are sometimes caused by chemotherapy, involuntary weight loss is a serious side effect of cancer and its treatment for many patients.
Chemotherapy can lead to weight gain by: Causing the body to hold on to excess fluid, called edema. Causing fatigue, making it harder to exercise. Increasing nausea that improves by eating more food.
Short, planned delays in chemotherapy for good-risk GCT patients (less than or equal to 7 days per cycle) appear to be acceptable since they may prevent serious toxicity in this curable patient population. Delays of longer than 7 days are strongly discouraged except in extraordinary life-threatening circumstances.
Most chemotherapy side effects are temporary and disappear once your treatment is over. For some people chemotherapy can cause long term changes in the body months or years after treatment. Many people feel more tired than usual for a long time after chemotherapy treatment.