Why Does Radiotherapy Cause Hair Loss? Some Suggestions For Patients To Use Wigs

Every treatment has its advantages and disadvantages, and radiotherapy is no exception, which can also cause some adverse reactions. Radiotherapy is local treatment, it only affects the specific radiotherapy site, if the radiotherapy site includes the head, then the head will appear hair loss; If the radiation site includes the armpit, hair loss may occur. If the radiation treatment site includes the eye socket, eyebrows and eyelashes may fall off.

In such cases, most patients will wear human hair wigs to enhance their appearance after surgery. So why does radiation actually cause hair loss?

How does radiation cause hair loss?

Alopecia caused by radiotherapy is divided into temporary alopecia and permanent alopecia. The vast majority of them are temporary alopecia. Permanent alopecia may occur when a small number of superficial tumors of the head are irradiated with large doses. Hair loss generally occurs 2 to 3 weeks after the start of radiotherapy, regrowth occurs 2 to 3 months after the end of radiotherapy, and hair returns to pre-treatment levels 6 months after the end of radiotherapy.

Alopecia caused by radiotherapy is mainly closely related to the size of radiation irradiation area, ray incident route and dose. For example, whole brain radiotherapy will cause temporary alopecia of more than 75% of the whole brain area. If intracranial small tumor uses multi-angle ray incident, can happen scattered temporary hair loss; Radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer may cause partial and temporary hair loss at the back of the head.

How to deal with hair loss in daily life

Some time after radiation treatment begins, patients may notice more loose hair than usual accumulating in pillows, combs, floors or bathroom drains, and hair loss persists throughout treatment and for several weeks after treatment.

If it is clear that head radiotherapy is needed, patients are advised to cut their hair short in advance to avoid the weight of long hair pulling on the scalp. Meanwhile, long hair will affect the fixation effect of the head and affect the accuracy of radiotherapy. If the patient is used to having long hair, it can be cut in stages to adjust to the new look. If you are willing to experiment with a new look, you can even cut off all your hair in advance.

Carefully choosing your wigs

Patients should choose wigs that are similar in thickness to their own hair, close to their natural hair color or lighter for a more natural look. The size of the wig should match the size of the head and should be adjusted as the hair continues to fall out. If you want to ensure your wigs are 100% reliable human hair wigs, we recommend you to go to Kameymall picking your items.