“Not all chemotherapy is harmful to hair.”
After months of cancer treatment, Kate Middleton announced on her Instagram account on September 9 that her chemotherapy was now over.The last nine months have been incredibly difficult for us […] Although I have completed chemotherapy, my road to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.”she wrote in the caption ofa video in which we can see the entire royal family more united than ever. While Internet users have shown their support, some have also been surprised to see that the Duchess of Sussex has kept her hair impeccable, despite chemotherapy. How is this possible?
Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy.Chemotherapy is a treatment that targets so-called “rapidly dividing” cells: this is the case for cancer cells, but also for healthy cells that divide rapidly, such as the cells of the hair bulbs that make up hair, eyelashes, eyebrows and body hair in general, but also those of the nails and oral epithelium (this is why chemo causes nausea).“, he explains to us Sophie Truesdell-Ménard, co-founder and President of the Foundation Keep your hair.
Depending on the type of chemo, its dosage and the nature of the patient’s hair, the effect is more or less significant. Some protocols cause hair loss after 2 to 3 weeks after the first infusion, others later and still others do not almost don’t make them fall. “Not all chemotherapies are harmful to the hair. For example, all intravenous chemo for breast cancer has the particularity of causing hair loss, even if there are variations depending on the product used (the loss is much greater with Taxotere® (docetaxel) than Taxol® (paclitaxel) for example, with risks of permanent alopecia). For other chemotherapies, a loss of volume is expected which can sometimes be imperceptible“, continues our interlocutor.
The helmet provides protection of the hair root and accelerates regrowth
To limit hair loss, one of the most common solutions is wearing a cooling helmet before, during and after treatments (this may be what Kate Middleton used, although this has not been confirmed). This device works to reduce blood flow to the scalp. When the scalp is cooled, the blood vessels constrict, reducing blood flow to the follicles and limits the amount of chemotherapy agents that reach them, this is how we limit the loss.
In France, fixed helmets are mainly used, which can be used in hospitals and chemotherapy centres; a little less so-called “manual” helmets that the patient can use independently at home and which seem to be more effective (the manufacturer with which the Foundation works – Penguin Cold Caps – displays a user satisfaction rate of up to 85% all chemo combined). “Both types of helmets are based on the same principle. The difference is that in fact, “manual” helmets (available in Europe, including France) are a set of three cooling helmets in which there is a very cold cryo gel (between -28 and -35°C) that is placed on the scalp 50 minutes before the infusion. The gel warms up on contact with the scalp, so after 25 minutes, the helmet must be changed. This helmet is kept on for the entire duration of the infusion and several hours afterwards, a duration determined according to the patient’s chemotherapy protocol and dosage.“, Sophie Truesdell-Ménard explains. It is the care team who will decide on its (in)usefulness on a case-by-case basis. And even in situations where the helmet does not prevent hair loss, it still offers protection for the hair root and accelerates regrowth.
A regrowth of about 1 cm per month
Hair loss is therefore not obligatory and even less definitive (except in very specific cases, hair grows back after stopping treatment, by about 1 cm per month). When it grows back, its nature may have changed: it may be straighter, curlier, darker, lighter. But in general, it returns to its true nature after a few months.
In any case, adopting certain measures can help preserve hair. Throughout chemotherapy (and ideally for 6 months after chemotherapy), it is recommended:
► Wash your hair (preferably with cold water) before the session, then do not wash it again for 3 to 8 days so that the bulb can regenerate
► Use a mild shampoo (and generally use very few products)
► Opt for natural drying without blow-drying and avoid using a hair dryer, a heated brush, curling irons or straighteners.
► Avoid coloring, highlights, balayage, straightening, relaxing or braiding, treatments that are too aggressive for the hair, tying your hair at the roots, but rather at the nape of the neck in a very “loose” way.
► Wear very light hats if it is cold and not very tight head coverings.
► Avoid putting your head in chlorine (swimming pool, etc.)
► Avoid cutting more than 2-3 cm of hair per month (to avoid exciting the hair follicles and attracting more chemotherapy drugs, just cut the ends)