Will my hair grow back as normal after chemotherapy?

Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy have proven to be effective at treating cancer. But they do have side effects which include hair loss.

The main reason for this is that chemotherapy uses very powerful drugs to destroy cancer cells, but unfortunately, these same drugs attack healthy cells as well which include the hair follicles.

Hair is usually lost a couple of weeks into your treatment but, the good news is that it usually re-grows once treatment is ended.

You can help protect against this by following a healthy diet, one which is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables and having a scalp massage.

Your GP or cancer specialist will be able to advise you further about this.

If you want to know more then visit our Male Hair Loss section. Hair loss and cancer treatment is discussed there in greater detail.

FAQS Index:

• FAQS - Intro
• What causes hair loss?
• What is ‘male pattern baldness?’
• What is alopecia?
• My father lost his hair in his thirties will I do the same?
• Can women suffer from hair loss?

• Does stress cause your hair to fall out?
• Do gels, mousses or hairsprays cause your hair to fall out?
• Do some hair styles damage your hair or cause it to fall out?
• Will my hair grow back as normal after chemotherapy?
• How do you treat hair loss?