OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Let’s take a moment to pause and think of the women we love who have dealt with or dealing with this diagnosis. To those we lost and to the survivors – we keep you near and dear.

Should you get that diagnosis, one of the many thoughts and questions that go through your head will be about losing your hair. So let’s discuss.

We know that one of the potential side effects of some breast cancer treatments can cause hair loss or thinning. Did you know that it is not just limited to chemotherapy?

Other treatments that can cause you to lose hair include certain types of:

hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy

In most cases, hair grows back after treatment is finished. But some people may experience longer term or permanent hair loss or thinning. Not all treatments cause hair loss so ask your doctor(s) if the treatments you will be receiving are likely to cause it, to what degree, and when it might occur.

Why does chemotherapy cause hair loss?

The reason chemotherapy can cause hair loss is that it targets all rapidly dividing cells in our body and that includes healthy cells as well as the cancer cells. The cell structures in the skin that hair grows from are called hair follicles. As chemotherapy does its job against cancer cells, it also can damage healthy hair follicle cells.

When does hair grow back after chemotherapy?

How long it takes for the hair on your head to grow back after chemotherapy (and other body hair, such as pubic hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows) varies a lot from person to person. Here’s a typical timetable for hair regrowth on the head:

• 3–4 weeks after chemotherapy ends: soft fuzz
• 1 month to 6 weeks after: real hair starts to grow
• 2–3 months after: about an inch of hair
• 3–6 months: about 2–3 inches of hair
• 12 months: 4–6 inches of hair

The hair on your head may come back a different color, texture, or volume. If you were coloring or chemically treating your hair before you started chemotherapy, you might be surprised (& pleased) to see what your natural hair looks like when it grows back.

In many cases, hair eventually returns to the way it was before treatment. Some people have incomplete hair regrowth. And sometimes permanent baldness and loss of eyebrows and eyelashes can occur.

To assist with your treatment needs, HSLI is pleased to work with Recover with Confidence in providing comfortable, personalized wigs and hair prostheses to women facing medical hair loss. We’re very familiar with the unique situation of expecting complete hair loss and can be there for you to help with your hair needs.  We are well aware of the details that can make or break the experience of wearing a hairpiece. If you or someone you know has an upcoming medical treatment that will cause hair loss, we can help ease the transition into and out of a personalized hair solution.

Recover with Confidence is a national program that partners with hair restoration salons because we are equipped to understand women’s hair loss. The program gives salons like ours the tools we need to be an important resource for women as they lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy by providing personalized wigs and hair prostheses.

HSLI promises:

• To help guide her through the process. When the time comes, we will even clipper her hair if she’d like. We will have her wig (cranial prosthetic) ready and customized for a perfect fit.
• To provide a product with materials specifically created for women whose skin is sensitive due to the treatment. All materials are soft, natural, breathable and very comfortable.
• Our technicians are all licensed cosmetologists who are also trained wig fitters, and stylists.
• To assist with the proper receipt for you to submit to your insurance company
• To provide a warm, caring and private environment. Our goal is to provide a relaxing and positive experience.

Please call us for a complimentary consultation: Hair Solutions of Long Island