Cancer and hair loss

27 June 2011

Cancer and hair loss

Some cancer treatments can make your hair fall out, but there are wigs, cold caps and other products available to help you cope.

Hair loss from cancer treatment can affect people in different ways. Some treatments cause only partial loss or thinning, while others cause people to lose hair from all over their body. Different types of chemotherapy drugs will have varying effects, while radiotherapy will cause hair loss only in the area where treatment is focused. Your doctor will be able to advise you what to expect.

Planning
You may find it helpful to visit a wig specialist before treatment to help match your hair colour and style. "I started to lose my hair so I shaved it off and wore a wig," says patient Daphne Tallett. "A good tip is to get your hairdresser to style the wig on you. Nobody could even tell I was wearing one."

Keep it short
Some people are more comfortable cutting their hair very short before undergoing therapy. This means that hair loss will not seem as dramatic when it happens.

Cold caps
A cold cap is a hat that is worn during some chemotherapy regimes. It can slow hair loss. It's cooling effect reduces the blood flow and, therefore, the chemotherapy to the scalp, which helps prevent hair loss. It's usually worn for 15 minutes before each chemotherapy treatment.

Eyebrows and eyelashes
With some chemotherapies, people might also lose their eyebrows and eyelashes. Make-up, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner or false eyelashes can help, and many cancer support groups have workshops to help patients learn how to use these techniques.

Types of wigs
There are two main types of wig: synthetic and real hair. Synthetic wigs are created from man-made fibres, last for six to nine months and cost between £50 and £200. Wigs made from real hair last for up to three or four years and cost between £200 and £2,000.?

Help with costs
You are entitled to a free synthetic wig or fabric support on the NHS if:

• you're under 16, or under 19 and in full-time education,
• you or a member of your family receive Income Support, the Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or, in certain cases, Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit,
• you receive a War Disablement Pension and need the items for your war disability,
• you're a hospital inpatient when the wig or fabric support is supplied, or
• your weekly income is low enough.

For more information, see Help with health costs.

Black and minority patients
If you're a black or minority ethnic patient with hair loss, you may need to find a wig that suits you from a specialist wig store. "Your nurse or specialist can tell you where you can find suppliers," advises Vivienne Townsend from Cancer Black Care. "Some hospitals will let you choose a supplier for your wig elsewhere, though there are companies already working with the NHS for black and minority patients," she says.

Other options
These include hairpieces and fringes that work alongside headwear such as scarves.

Roisin Furlong of Breast Cancer Care says, "We hold demonstration stock of many types that people can try out, to find what they like. We can then let them know where they can get it. We give eyebrow and eyelash advice, too. We work with the NHS wig service, and we give women options. Treatment can take over your life, so it's great to have choice where you can.