How to Slow Hair Loss During Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer

Unfortunately, hair loss is one side effect that’s almost impossible to avoid during chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. “It’s pretty universal with our chemo regimen,” says Dr. Stephanie Wethington, a gynecologic oncologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “Paclitaxel, one of the two drugs that we use, is what causes the hair loss.”

Dr. Wethington explains that the hair loss from chemotherapy isn’t just on the head, “which is what most people immediately think of.” Women on an ovarian cancer chemotherapy regimen may also be distressed by the loss of their eyebrows and eyelashes. (Hair loss on the rest of the body isn’t usually as noticeable, or as upsetting.)

“There’s no magic bullet or magic pill or anything that can be done to stop it,” says Dr. Wethington. The best news is that the loss is temporary: hair will grow back after the treatment is finished.

But for the six months or so of an average chemotherapy regimen, there are different steps that women can take to deal with this side effect.

Use Cooling Caps to Minimize Thinning
There is no miracle drug to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy. But there are some things that do seem to slow it. One of the most common ways for people to try to slow their chemo hair loss is by a process called scalp hypothermia: using ice packs or wearing special cooling caps or cold caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment. “Essentially these caps slow the blood flow to those direct areas to decrease the extent of hair loss,” says Dr. Wethington. By constricting the blood flow to the scalp, the caps limit the amount of circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects.

“There are multiple companies that can provide these caps, and they all have their own data as to how efficacious they are,” says Dr. Wethington. In my experience they do help. They don’t eliminate hair thinning, but they seem to help.” Some versions of these caps are even high-tech, connecting to a computer that controls the flow of cooled liquid through the cap.

Dr. Wethington says some people also use the caps on the hands and feet to ease neuropathy–nerve damage causing feelings of numbness, tingling, or pain.

Wear Temporary Cover-Ups While Waiting
Since hair loss can’t be prevented, some women decide to cover their heads and wait until their hair grows back after treatment. “Some women buy hats, scarves. There’s a variety of different wraps that people do,” says Dr. Wethington. “There’s a whole different host of approaches. Some women buy wigs, try out some new hairstyles.”

Own the Look
And then there are women who go out proudly bald into the world while they are in treatment. “Some women grab a razor, shave their head, and they look great actually,” says Dr. Wethington. “Their approach is to totally own the look.”

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