Chemotherapy

There are over 50 different types of drugs are used in chemotherapy treatment. Each of these drugs kills the cancerous cells in different manner and affects the healthy cells in different ways. This is why each of them produces different side effects. Primarily chemotherapy drugs affect specific areas of the body where cell growth rate is the highest, such as mouth, skin, digestive system, hair follicles, bone marrow, etc. So, the side effects are mostly prevalent in these areas. In this article, we will shed light on a general overview of chemotherapy side effects; however, focusing on in-depth understanding of specific side effects caused by specific drug is beyond the scope of this article.

Effects on Bone Marrow and Blood
Bone marrow is responsible for the production of three types of blood cells – red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. At the initial stage of the production, these cells reside within bone marrow where they are nurtured and then become mature enough to come into the blood stream. Since bone marrow is affected due to chemotherapy drug administration, so the production of blood cells gets inhibited. This causes few inevitable side effects such as an increased risk for infection, anemia, increased bleeding and bruising. Since the production of white blood cells is adversely affected due to the administration of chemotherapy drugs, people are at higher risk for getting infection. In this time, many patients are advised having antibiotics as an integral part of their treatment.

Since the production of red blood cells also gets hampered, people are on chemotherapy treatment are an increased risk for developing anemic symptoms. Common symptoms may involve lethargy, fatigue, and shortness of breath, dizziness, light-headedness, muscle ache and joint aches. Since blood clotting largely depends on the production of platelets, bleeding becomes a common issue after administering chemotherapy drugs as the production of platelets is highly disrupted.

Effects on Hair, Nail and Skin
Although there are certain chemotherapy drugs that do not cause hair loss or do only for a slightest extent, there are some that affect quite significantly and cause a massive hair loss. Most commonly it is seen that in the chemotherapy session hair follicles become weak and hairs break off from the scalp itself. In most of the cases, the hair loss problem starts not less than two or three weeks after the treatment has been started. Not only scalp hair, the problem is also common in underarm, body and public hair as well. However, in most of the occasions, this hair fall problem is temporary and patients usually get recovered as soon as they finish their chemotherapy treatment.

Effect on Digestive System
Like any other adverse side effects, chemotherapy affects digestive system in quite an adverse fashion, which may result in nausea and vomiting. However, with the advent of medical science, in recent days nausea and vomiting are less common issues, which were far common in old days. In such cases, doctors generally advise anti-sickness drugs which once administered provide the patients a sense of relief from their discomforts.

The administration of some chemotherapy drugs may cause hair loss as one of the most common and inevitable side effects. However, contrary to the popular belief that all chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss, the problem of hair loss is in practice not common for each and every drug administered under chemotherapy. There is some chemotherapy drugs for which the hair loss problem is hardly noticeable. If the chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss, you can experience it no later than two weeks or less. In some extreme cases, chemotherapy drugs may lead to complete removal of all the hairs, which can make an individual upset and psychologically distressed. The amount of hair loss depends on the type of chemotherapy drugs administered on an individual. In many cases combined therapy is applied, so the strengths of the drugs used play a leading role in determining the amount of possible damage. Apart from that, the dosage amount and the influence of the administered drugs on a particular individual have some influence.

In most of the times, hair loss starts within few weeks of the onset of the treatment, however, in some rare occasions, it may start within few days after the commencement of chemotherapy treatment. Not only becomes the hair in the scalp area affected, but also hairs in the underarms, public and private areas get seriously affected. Some drugs are so strong that they cause hair loss from eyelashes and eyebrows as well. But there is good news and it is that if chemotherapy drugs have caused hair loss, then it will generally get recovered as soon as the treatment is finished. Once again the hair grows and they do not fall in such an abnormal fashion.

Self Care for Hair Loss
If the chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss, then it is better to cut the hair short before starting the treatment, since the weight of the lengthy hair can make the scalp much weaker and it then leads to earlier hair loss. During the treatment phase, one must use soft and gentle products. It is better to avoid any sort of perming or bleaching of the hair, since it makes the scalp area more itchy and dry. If coloring of hair becomes necessary, it is better to use organic and vegetable based coloring products in order to ensure maximum possible protection from any further chemical damage that may be caused due to the application of chemical based products. One must not handle the hair roughly and brush it only using baby’s hair brush. It is highly discouraged to use hair drier, rather it is better to dry the hair naturally. If the hair is falling too fast, one may wear wig after consulting with doctor. In addition, one may wear scarf or hat when they wish to spend time outside. Apart from all these, one must consult your doctor about all the required strategies that they can employ most effectively. One may need to take counseling due to such massive hair loss problems.