Cancer Hair Loss: What You Should Know

Some medicines used in cancer care affect rapidly dividing hair-follicle cells, causing shedding from the scalp and sometimes the eyebrows, eyelashes, or body. Hair may thin gradually or come out more noticeably after treatment begins. Illness, reduced nutrition, hormonal changes, and emotional or physical strain can also shift the hair-growth cycle. Hair loss by itself does not identify cancer, and other causes include alopecia areata, pattern hair loss, scalp ringworm, traction alopecia, and telogen effluvium.

Tell your oncology team about new shedding before changing medicines or supplements. Ask what pattern is expected with your treatment and whether scalp cooling or gentle hair care is suitable. Use mild shampoo, avoid tight styles and harsh chemicals, and protect an exposed scalp from sun and cold. A soft hat, scarf, or wig can help with comfort and privacy. Do not start finasteride or another hair treatment without checking that it fits your diagnosis and cancer medicines.

Contact your cancer team promptly for sudden extensive shedding, painful or inflamed scalp skin, pus, bleeding, sores, fever, or a new firm scalp lump. Arrange a dermatology review when hair loss continues after treatment, forms sharply defined patches, or comes with scaling, itching, fatigue, or other new symptoms. Keep a record of onset, affected areas, treatments, and products so the clinician can separate treatment-related shedding from a scalp condition.

Ask which treatment is most likely to affect your hair, when shedding may begin, whether regrowth is expected, and how to care for your scalp during treatment. Ask whether a dermatologist should examine patchy loss or take a scalp sample.