Effects on Hair, Skin and Intugements

Hair

Sometimes chemotherapy can damage the hair, make it brittle and cause it to fall. Sometimes the severity of it may cause even the eyelashes and eyebrows to fall . It usually depends on the type of drug and the dosage. Sometimes tying a band around the head during chemotherapy may prevent the drugs reaching the hair in high concentration. This in turn will lessen hair loss. The hair fall can be controlled once chemotherapy stops.

In some people hair loss is prevented by using a ‘cold cap’ that reduces blood flow and also the flow of drugs to the brain
Keep hair short
Avoid perming, hair drying or coloring the hair. If necessary, use mild plant –based hair products
If considered necessary use a wig before chemotherapy in order to get adjusted to it
Some people are happy wearing a cap to hide their baldness others may not be bothered by it.

Skin changes

Some drugs can affect the patient’s skin in the following way-

Dryness
Color change
Rashes

The following remedial measures may be taken:

Use sunscreen hat and loose clothing to get sun protection
Apply a moisturising cream to to soothe sensitive skin
Use mild skin products, including an electric razor

Nails

Chemotherapy can make the nails brittle, flaky and discolored. White lines may be seen across the nails. It will be advisable to show the doctor.

References

MacDiarmid J.A. et al. (2007)
"Bacterially Derived 400 nm Particles for Encapsulation and Cancer Cell Targeting of Chemotherapeutics" Cancer Cell 11, 431-445, May 2007

Published on Mar 03, 2016
Last Updated on Apr 12, 2019

Effects on Hair, Skin and Intugements

Effects on Hair, Skin and Intugements