Hair and cancer
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Cancer treatments can potentially affect your hair in many ways. It may change the texture, make it thinner or cause hair loss which might be temporary or permanent.
It is not just the hair on your head that can be affected,
We deliver a regular cancer related hair care workshop to support people to learn about different ways to manage their symptoms. This is a face-to-face workshop that is delivered by experts in this area Hair Reborn and Caring for Hair.
To attend please contact the Macmillan information centre to reserve a place
0208 725 2677
Cancer.information@stgeorges.nhs.uk
Key points and general advice
- Consider cutting your hair shorter before starting chemotherapy treatment, it can make hair loss easier to manage and care for. It also helps you adjust gradually to changes in your appearance.
- Brush or comb your hair with a wide a tooth comb at least twice a day to remove any lose hair to prevent tangling or matting.
- Avoid rubbing your hair vigorously when washing, pat dry with a soft towel to prevent tangling or matting.
- Sleep caps can be helpful to keep your head warm and to also capture hair so it is not caught on your pillow.
- It is advised to use shampoos that do not contain parabens or sulphates in their ingredients as they are less likely to irritate the scalp.
- Despite being mild, avoid using baby shampoo as it can dry out your scalp and hair.
- When hair starts to grow back it can be tender or tight. Gently massage your scalp with your fingertips using natural oils such as coconut oil. Rosemary oil is known to stimulate hair growth (ensure it’s diluted with a carrier oil such as coconut oil or jajoba oil).
Why do people experience hair loss?
Systemic anti-cancer therapies/SACT (which is the term used to describe the range of medications that can be used to treat cancer) and radiotherapy can lead to hair loss. On the whole, this hair loss is temporary. Some surgical procedures require shaving of the body part before the operation. This will grow back with time, but you may find that the hair does not regrow along the scar line.
Hair loss that is caused by chemotherapy is called chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Not all chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss.
Hair loss may happen unevenly, this is normal.
Using the cold cap/scalp cooling to reduce hair loss
A cold cap is a helmet-like device that people wear on their head before, during, and after chemotherapy sessions. It works by cooling the scalp, which constricts blood vessels and reduces blood flow to hair follicles. This cooling effect limits the amount of chemotherapy drugs that reaches the hair follicles, helping to protect them from damage and potentially reducing hair loss.
Scalp cooling is not appropriate for everyone.
Top tips:
- Avoid rubbing/massaging your scalp if you are scalp cooling in order to achieve the best possible results.
- Do not wash your hair immediately after scalp cooling and when washing following instructions in the general advice above.
- Brush or comb as in general advice above.
- Avoid using heated styling tools such, hair straighteners and hair tongs.
- It is advisable to not colour your hair during treatment.
Preparation of afro-textured hair is important to ensure the cap fits properly for maximum effectiveness.
- Gently Detangle and Moisturise, use a wide-tooth comb or fingers to gently detangle.
- Lightly moisturise with a leave-in conditioner and also apply water. Try to keep hair as flat as possible.
- The following hairstyle would be suitable to reduce the volume of the hair: part the hair into four or six sections and apply loose, flat three-strand plaits.
Wigs
Ask your cancer team to refer you to the St George’s wig service if you are interested in trying a wig for your hair loss.
The Little Princess Trust support people up to the age of 24 who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment to receive a free, real hair wig.
Request A Wig from the Little Princess Trust
Wig suppliers in the community: Cancer Hair care , Raoul, TrendCo, My Hot Hair
Styling your wig: My New Hair
Headscarves
Macmillan provide guidance on using scarves and bandanas, including a video demonstration
Headwrappers is a hair loss advisory service focussing upon alternatives to wigs
01372 747 500
info@lgfb.co.uk
How you feel about your body, body image difficulties
Our body image is the way we see ourselves and the feelings that we have about our bodies. Some cancer treatments, such as surgery and radiotherapy, can change the way the body looks. Adjusting to changes to our body can be difficult and may impact how comfortable and confident people feel about being intimate with others. It is natural to feel sadness and grief while you are adapting to the changes in your body. More information about body image.
LINK To look good feel better
Resources
The Cancer Care Map and Macmillan’s In Your Area are both examples of online directories that aim to link people to sources of support for self-management and peer support.
www.macmillan.org/cancer-information-and-support/in-your-area?pcode=
Hair reborn
Hair reborn is a charity offering support, expert advice and free hair styling service for people suffering hair loss as a result of cancer chemotherapy treatment, helping them regain their confidence and self-esteem. Charity No: 1185832
07732 086520
Caring for hair – cancer and afro hair
Cancer And Afro Hair, the only Trichology led Cancer-related Hair loss service in the UK, specialising in Afro-Textured Hair.
www.caringforhair.org/c-and-hair
0203 916 5311
candhair@caringforhair.org
Further resources
Macmillan booklet ‘Coping with hair loss’
Hair loss booklet | Macmillan Cancer Support
Audiobook ‘Coping with hairloss’
Films created by Macmillan
BSL Interpreted films