In our experience, on average, it takes around three to eight months before the hair is long enough to have a short textured style. But hair does grow at different rates and we have given people their first hair cut (a few snips) after just three months.
It's best to wait until your hair has grown out at least 3 inches. Then it's safe to ask your hairstylist to trim the ends. This will get rid of the most brittle, dry hair. You may even like to get the ends trimmed once a month or every other month until your hair returns to its normal texture.
Consider trying minoxidil (generic Rogaine®)
Minoxidil (generic Rogaine®) is an FDA-approved topical treatment for hair loss. While it's typically used to treat male pattern baldness, it's been studied as a remedy for chemotherapy-induced alopecia as well.
It generally takes about 48 to 72 hours for your body to break down and/or get rid of most chemo drugs. But it's important to know that each chemo drug is excreted or passed through the body a bit differently.
Consider cutting your hair short before you begin chemotherapy. It will help you get used to having less hair and any shedding that occurs will be easier to manage. Also, if you decide to get a wig, it will fit better over shorter hair.
Also keep in mind that even before your hair begins to fall out, it will probably look dull and lose body. In my 25 years as a hairdresser helping cancer patients through this process, here are my best recommendations: When your scalp becomes tender is a great time to cut your hair short, down to about 2 inches.
Cutting off significant length from your hair— and keeping it short with frequent trims— means that you're getting rid of dead and damaged ends. Aside from that, my ends don't become as dry when I wear my hair short, since the oils from my scalp don't need to travel too far to nourish them.
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.
If you were treated with certain types of chemotherapy, you can also have many of the same problems. Some problems go away after treatment. Others last a long time, while some may never go away.
How quickly hair regrows varies from person to person but most people will have a full covering of hair three to six months after treatment. For some people this may be patchy. Hair may be weak and fragile or softer to begin with but over time the condition and texture of hair becomes stronger.
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.
Eyebrows will usually start to grow back after treatment finishes, but they may grow back thinner or patchier. They tend to grow back slower than head hair and in rare cases they don't grow back at all.
Head hair usually goes first, followed by hair from other areas of the body. But again, everyone responds differently, so it could be sooner or later, depending on the individual. Is there any way of preventing or minimizing hair loss caused by cancer treatment? No, not really.
New Color, Texture or Curls
This is because they attack fast-growing cells, which include both cancer cells and your hair follicle cells. After you've completed chemotherapy, you can expect hair regrowth in three to six months, but it may grow back differently than before.
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.
It takes about 3 to 4 weeks for the bone marrow to recover after the chemotherapy finishes and for the blood count to return to a near normal level.
Fatigue caused by chemotherapy may last for some weeks or months after a treatment cycle ends. Many people find that their energy levels return to normal within 6–12 months of treatment ending. While fatigue is a common side effect of chemotherapy, it can also be a symptom of depression.
So, it is not surprising that many people feel that they age dramatically during chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, the epidermis loses its ability to hold on to moisture, which leads to fine lines in the skin's surface. In the dermis, the collagen and elastin break down, which weakens the skin's support structure.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may cause changes in the lining of the mouth and the salivary glands, which make saliva. This can upset the healthy balance of bacteria. These changes may lead to mouth sores, infections, and tooth decay.
It Causes External Damage. "Your hair will continue to rub against clothing, get ripped out by sunglasses, and generally get beat up by your day to day life," Bivona notes. "This roughs up the cuticle, which will cause your hair to lose its shine and cause added dryness and weakness.
Basically, if you don't have a trim, your split ends will run riot and likely split further up the shaft eventually snapping and making your hair short, which stops it from growing long. This way, your hair can continue to grow healthily from your roots, but the ends won't fray and snap shorter.
There is no universal number for how often you should cut your hair (sorry!). But the rule of thumb is every six to 12 weeks. I know, I know—that's a big ballpark.