Hairloss for Chemotherapy Patients

If you’re like most women undergoing chemotherapy, chances are you are thinking a lot about covering up your thinning hair and bare scalp with a cancer wig or chemo scarf. But have you considered how important it is to properly care for the hair you still have, and the newly exposed scalp underneath?

Caring for your scalp and remaining hair is an important way to keep the skin on your scalp healthy during chemotherapy treatment. Below is an overview of some conditions that may occur during cancer treatments and how to prevent them.

When a woman loses her hair due to chemotherapy, it is more than just a personal issue that affects her self-esteem.  Hair loss can also put undue stress on her social and intimate relationships.  Even though women facing hair loss have the option to wear a cancer hat, wig or headscarf, it still creates a dramatic change in their overall appearance.  And whether one wants to believe it or not, hair loss can have a significant impact on loved ones as well.

What is most troubling about this issue is the fact that most women rely on their partner or significant other to be a source of strength and unconditional love during this difficult time.  When the general public offers nothing but thoughtless comments and prying questions, and the image they see in the mirror just reinforces that image, women expect their spouse to make them feel accepted and loved.  But in many cases, when the chemotherapy wig comes off at bedtime, it can be a little discomfiting for men.  Let’s face it: some men have a really hard time with the reality of baldness in women, regardless of the circumstances.

When people think of chemotherapy, they instantly think of hair loss though in reality, hair loss from chemo is only one of the symptoms. Nonetheless it can be the most important one from the point of view of having the greatest effect on the patient, not only in self confidence, but also in self image.Recent studies have shown that the greatest danger to a woman during chemotherapy is the loss of her self image which is not always regained after the hair has grown back. Different women react differently to this problem, and forewarned is forearmed. Meaning that most women don't fully appreciate the importance of their hair to their psychological make up until they lose it.