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About Chemo Hair Regrowth Products

Hair loss is the least of your concerns when fighting cancer. Although chemotherapy can be successful, it takes a tremendous toll on the body. The body shuts down nutrients to hair, eyebrows, underarm hair, fingernails and toenails to fight the cancer and handle the chemotherapy. After the chemotherapy is over, you can help your body regrow your hair.

  1. Time Frame

    • How long it takes to regrow hair depends on the severity of the cancer and how healthy the person is. Some hair will begin to grow as soon as the chemotherapy stops while others can take weeks to start growing again. When using any hair regrowth products, give it at least three months after the last chemotherapy treatment to see if it is working. Some patients are able to grow back a full head of hair in six months after the last treatment. Hair usually starts to grow two months after the last treatment.

    Experimental Treatments

    • There are two types of treatments that are currently being tested on cancer patients during chemotherapy to see if it can prevent hair loss or make hair grow back quicker. These treatments are minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) and cryotherapy (use of ice packs). The Mayo Clinic suggests that cryotherapy may help save nails but not hair. Initial tests on minoxidil to regrow hair look promising, but more research needs to be done.

    Special Shampoos

    • There are special shampoos and conditioners on the Internet and in stores that claim to help regrow hair faster. However, these are not necessary and are not clinically proven to grow hair back faster. Using any baby shampoo will help not only to regrow hair, but also helps you retain newly regrown hair.

    Tretinoin

    • Shampoos, creams and pills containing tretinoin (retin-A) are touted to grow hair back faster than usual, but this has not been proven. Tretinoin pills require a doctor's prescription. There are shampoos and creams containing both minoxidil and tretinoin on the market, but they also are not proven to grow hair back any faster than usual.

    Considerations

    • When the hair begins to grow back, it may be thinner than usual or a different color than before. Do not color it or use harsh styling products on it. Towel dry instead of using a hair dryer. Use the softest hair brush you can find to avoid ripping the hair out. About six months to a year later, the hair will return to normal.

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