Embracing Hair Loss

I think most people, whether they have cancer or not, know that losing your hair is one of the main side effects of having chemotherapy.

For some women, this can be quite a traumatic experience. Some of us, myself included, embrace the experience and turn it into something positive. I saw my baldness almost as a rite of passage – the hair went and so did the cancer! The hair would grow back, but the cancer, hopefully, would not! Some women choose to pre-empt the hair loss by shaving it all off before the chemo drugs have a chance to do their stuff! I lost all mine a day or 2 day before my 2nd chemo session and had already decided to not bother with wearing a wig. However, I did wear a very funky selection of headgear when I went out, mostly due to the fact that it was very windy and cold up here on the Isle of Bute when I had my chemo.

Around the house I went “au natural”!! Once the hair started growing back I quite got used to my new short crop look and did keep it quite short for a year or so after my treatment ended. So much easier than having to look after long hair and I saved a fortune on shampoo!! We mustn’t forget that men also lose their hair when going through chemo and for some of them it can also be a very traumatic experience. Yet in our culture, because men are often expected to go bald at some point in their life, they are not offered the option of having a wig during treatment. So whether you choose to embrace your baldness or keep it under cover, always remember that in most cases, it does grow back eventually. Here are some products we offer for scalp comfort

By Kaz Molloy