Does radiation therapy lead to hair loss? Hair loss is an issue that most people wonder when radiation treatment will begin treatment, but this is not as important as your health, and there is no point in worrying about it.
The cause of hair loss in radiation treatment depends on the area applied. If the area with radiation is applied to the skull, hair loss will occur. The same applies to other regions; if there is hair in the place where radiation treatment is seen, hair loss may occur. Radiotherapy is a regional treatment method, and its therapeutic effect and side effect occurs only in proportion to the region in which the treatment is applied. For example, radiation therapy to the stomach does not cause hair loss. However, radiotherapy applied to areas such as the head and neck, which corresponds to a brain tumor or an area of hair, can cause hair loss or regional hair loss. In some types of treatments, chemotherapy is applied even with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy drugs usually cause hair loss. In this case, the hair spilled is caused by chemotherapy.
Is Hair Loss Permanent After Radiation?
Whether hair loss occurs in radiation treatment will be permanent or not due to radiation therapy severity. Temporary hair loss occurs in radiation treatments at low doses, while high dose radiation therapy can lead to permanent hair loss. Your doctor, who will perform your treatment, will arrange a treatment plan for you, and the dose may be determined according to the one in this treatment. She can tell you what extent your post-radiation hair loss will be. However, the amount of hair loss said before treatment is not a definite amount.
According to your body’s reaction, permanent hair loss may occur even in low dose treatment. It is not only right to shorten hair loss, but hair loss may also occur in every area treated, and this spillage can be permanent according to the dosage of the treatment. Instead of permanent hair loss, a decrease in hair quantity can also be seen dilution. Tissue and color change may occur after radiation treatment. Although hair color changes are not very common, it can be seen. Tissue change is a common condition.
What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy plans to treat cancer disease with ionizing radiation. With high doses of radiation given in radiation treatment, cancer cells can die and prevent division. Radiation is a last-timely effect on cancer cells that are divided more quickly than normal cells. Radiation therapy is aimed not only to treat the patient but also to lead a good life after treatment. Therefore, instead of exposing an area with cancer, treatment has been developed to treat only where the cancerous tissue is located, as previously done in radiation therapy applications. Thus, healthy tissue will not be damaged, and cancerous tissue and healthy tissue ratio will be preserved. Moreover, since only the radiation is applied to the cancerous tissue, the amount of beam surged to extinction can be increased. Thus, it becomes easier for the patient to recover after treatment and regains health more quickly.
What are the side effects of radiation treatment?
Radiation therapy has many side effects, as in all treatments. In 2D treatments, a wide area is used to give the patient tissue the necessary radiation dose. As a result, side effects were much more familiar with tissue damage without cancer cells. In recent years, the devices used in radiation treatments can direct the beam to the diseased tissue as much as possible, ensuring that other areas are exposed to the least dose.
Depending on technological developments, the method of radiation treatment has also changed, and success and success; the patient’s healthy life expectancy during and after treatment has also become important. Cancer patients who now have a longer life expectancy are as crucial as their recovery after their treatment process is over. Side effects after radiation therapy occur due to damage to normal cells that receive radiation and cancerous cells.
Not everyone has a side effect. The side effect may depend on the area of radiation. Radiation treatment side effects usually occur gradually. Side effects can often be observed in the second week of treatment. Side effects may occur in some patients months after treatment. Can be eliminated two months after treatment. How you feel after treatment develops depending on your living conditions. If you eat healthily and adopt a positive way of life, you can alleviate the side effects. Side effects can also develop depending on whether you have previously received radiation. Your doctor may share with you the side effects that may occur during the treatment process.
Radioactivity After Radiation Therapy
There is no radioactive activity during radiation treatment. Since there is no radioactive activity, you do not need to separate your belongings such as toilets, forks, spoons, etc. You can contact your loved ones any way you want.
- How can we minimize Post-Radiation Skin Reaction?
- Be careful when washing the area where you are receiving radiation treatment.
- Use a cleaner that does not irritate the radiation area.
- Dry that area with a soft towel to avoid irritation.
- Choose an outfit that is not strict and does not squeeze that area. It is better to use cotton.
- Do not apply products such as cologne or perfume to the beam area. They can irritate that area.
- Do not use products such as deodorant if your skin has irritation.
- Try to avoid products such as peeling that will irritate your skin.
- Do not apply hot or cold press.
- Protect that area from the sun’s rays. You can use a hat to protect against sun rays.
- Do not enter the pool waters containing chlorine.
- Do not use products that cover the area, such as band-aid.
- If it is a shaved area, use an electric shaver.
- Cornflour may be beneficial for the itchy region, but stop the use of cornflour if the skin collects water.
- You can apply a moisturizing cream to the area where radiation therapy is treated. You can use the moisturizer after the treatment. If you see an allergic condition, consult your doctor.
- If any redness or blisters appear in the area where radiation therapy is treated, report it to your doctor again.
- Does Radiation Therapy Lead to Hair Loss?
What is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy means treating with chemical drugs. Chemotherapy means the tumor is killed by medication, prevents cancerous cells’ growth, and kills them. With the new chemotherapy method developed today, the chemical drug has more effects on cancerous cells. Therefore, chemotherapy drugs can contain multiple chemicals.
Chemotherapy is a type of treatment used to slow down cancer cells according to cancer type and stage. In some stages, chemotherapy is the only option, while in some cases, radiation therapy and surgical treatment can be applied along with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can be applied to prevent tumor formation again after surgical treatment to reduce tumors before surgical treatment. The same method of application can be applied to radiation therapy. Chemotherapy can also be applied to radiation therapy.
What are the Side Effects of Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy drugs contain chemicals so that they can have a side effect. However, these side effects may vary in each patient. Some patients may not have side effects. You can get help from your doctor to minimize the side effects of chemotherapy.
