Although medicine can cure many cancer cases that are detected at an early stage, this relentless disease still remains one of humanity’s biggest problems.
One of the first things that comes to mind when talking about cancer treatment is sudden hair loss. What actually sheds hair chemotherapy itself. So how does chemotherapy cause this type of hair loss called “alopecia”?
Chemotherapy, one of the leading fields of medical oncology, can serve different purposes; It can be aimed at relieving the symptoms of the disease, prolonging the life of the patient or getting rid of the disease completely. This, type of cancer and it depends on the patient’s condition.
Why does the hair of patients who receive chemotherapy treatment fall out?
A patient treated for systemic hyperthermia.
Different techniques can be used in chemotherapy. In systemic therapy, which is one of the common techniques, patients are given intravenously. pharmaceutical and chemical components is given. Sometimes surgery, radiation, or systemic hyperthermia therapy may be used in addition to systemic therapy.
A variety of drugs and treatments that try to prevent cancer it has side effects. Hair loss is one of the most obvious of these side effects. Hair falls out 2-4 weeks after chemotherapy treatment begins. Although shedding is sometimes slow, sometimes it can happen suddenly and quickly.
Why do these drugs affect hair?
Cancerous cells spread rapidly throughout the body. Because cancer drugs know this attacks rapidly growing cells. However, it cannot distinguish which cell is cancerous and which cell is healthy.
Therefore, those responsible for producing hair and known for its rapid growth The cells of the hair follicle also get their share from these drugs. While drugs sometimes only affect the hair, they can also affect other body hairs such as eyelashes, hairs, feathers.
the degree of spillage, It may vary depending on the patient’s condition and the type of drugs. Drugs such as Adriamycin can cause the patient to lose eyebrows and eyelashes in a few weeks. Drugs such as taxol, on the other hand, affect the body in general.
Scalp before and during chemotherapy minoxidil Hair loss can be prevented by applying it, but it cannot be said that it always works.
2-3 months after the end of chemotherapy begins to stretch again. This shedding is a temporary side effect. When the hair first comes out, it may be straighter or curly, the color may be different, but it will return to its original state later on.
A treatment method different from chemotherapy smart medicine In its use, drugs directly target cancerous cells. These drugs have differences such as inhibiting the division and proliferation of cancer cells rather than being lethal. It can be said that smart medicine is one step ahead in terms of its effects.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
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