• Question: why dont you get the same hair quality after getting treated for cancer?

    Asked by mashal to Bob, Katie, Nisha, Sallie, Vee on 2 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Bob Bonwick

      Bob Bonwick answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      This is a great question – it has a really simple answer too. When patients recieve the chemotherapy, the drug circulating upsets the hairs regrowth. As we activly shed hair it has to be replaced, but with the drugs prevent the hair from growing back properly. This is sometimes temporary and the hair comes back full of life, othertimes the damage is irraversable.

    • Photo: Sallie Baxendale

      Sallie Baxendale answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      As Bob says – its all to do with the drugs that make it fall out in the first place and the damage they cause.

    • Photo: Vee Mitchell

      Vee Mitchell answered on 3 Jul 2012:

      Its the side effects of these current chemotherapy drugs, like you hair falling out, that research is continuing to try and improve. The current drugs aren’t very good at selecting between the cancer cells and our own healthy cells. If we can target the drugs better then we may see this side effect (and others) dissappear.

    • Photo: Katie McDonald

      Katie McDonald answered on 5 Jul 2012:

      Yes, even after the chemo it sometimes doesn’t return to normal, but often it does after a time. Chemotherapy is a real shock to the system in so many ways. Are you asking because you know someone who’s had it? I hope they’re getting over it if so!

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