What to do if you lose your hair during chemotherapy

Cancer is a very scary disease. We currently do not have a particularly good method to treat cancer. We usually use chemotherapy to treat cancer, but the side effects of chemotherapy are also very obvious. Because chemotherapy often kills many normal cells while killing cancer cells, many patients will experience hair loss after chemotherapy.

So how should we deal with hair loss caused by chemotherapy? In fact, the healthiest and most effective way to deal with hair loss caused by chemotherapy is to use traditional Chinese medicine. We can choose Chinese medicine conditioning methods, or we can use diet therapy methods.

Cause: Drugs damage hair follicle cells and cause hair loss

Why do patients who undergo chemotherapy lose all their hair? Experts explain that no drug can selectively kill only cancer cells. While killing cancer cells, it will also damage the body's normal cells. Normal hematopoietic cells, digestive tract mucosal cells and hair follicle cells that actively proliferate in the human body are more vulnerable to damage. Among them, damage to the hair follicle cells that dominate hair growth can easily cause hair loss.

Symptoms: Not all chemotherapy patients will lose their hair

Hair loss usually occurs 2-3 weeks after treatment, or even after two treatments, and may occur gradually or in clumps. Hair loss can occur on any hairy part of the body, not just the head. Hair on the eyebrows, armpits, hands, legs and even pubic hair may be affected. But patients don't need to be afraid, because the hair will grow again after it falls off, and it will often grow darker and thicker.

In addition, not all chemotherapy patients will lose all their hair. Some patients will not lose their hair. It depends on the different drugs used.

Nursing: Chinese medicine can nourish qi and blood and protect hair

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "hair is the residue of blood". Cracked Ganoderma lucidum spore powder can effectively prevent hair loss caused by chemotherapy. Xipai capsules, a Chinese medicine preparation rich in cracked Ganoderma lucidum spore powder, can replenish qi and blood, nourish the liver and kidneys, and often have the effect of protecting hair. Traditional Chinese medicine can not only replenish qi and nourish blood, but also protect hair. Compared with other treatments, traditional Chinese medicine is safer.

Recommend 4 medicated diets suitable for post-chemotherapy

Fig Stew

100g fresh figs, 100g lean pork

grams, wash and cut into pieces, put into the pot, add appropriate amount of water and seasoning, cook until the meat is tender, drink the soup and eat the meat. It is used to treat dry mouth and sore throat after chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, reducing swelling and detoxifying.

Olive and monk fruit soup

30 grams of olives, 1 monk fruit; put the two items in a pot, add clean water, boil and drink the water. Clears away heat, detoxifies, relieves throat pain and eliminates phlegm.

Astragalus stewed duck

20 grams of Astragalus and 200 grams of duck, stew together until cooked. It has the effects of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing yin and nourishing the stomach; it is suitable for people with both qi and yin deficiency.

Chinese Yam and Lotus Root Soup

30g yam, 30g lotus seeds (core removed)

grams, 30 grams of coix seed, add appropriate amount of water, simmer until cooked, add a little white sugar, take once a day for 15 days. It is used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma at all stages due to spleen deficiency, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing Qi, clearing the heart and calming the mind.

In fact, not all cancer patients will lose their hair after chemotherapy, so don’t worry, and there is no need to shave your hair before chemotherapy. Many cancer patients think that their hair will definitely fall out after chemotherapy, so they shave their hair before chemotherapy, but they didn’t expect that chemotherapy does not necessarily cause hair loss, and they regret it. Therefore, cancer patients should follow the doctor's instructions on whether to shave their heads, so as not to regret it.

Above, we introduced the impact of chemotherapy on our human body. Although chemotherapy can kill cancer cells when treating cancer, it can also easily kill some normal cells. Therefore, patients are prone to various symptoms after chemotherapy, such as hair loss. The above article introduces in detail what to do if you lose hair due to chemotherapy.