Mesothelioma chemotherapy drugs work by selectively targeting and killing the rapidly growing cell of the mesothelioma tumor. Unfortunately however these drugs also tend to affect the normal healthy rapidly dividing cells of the body leading to the death of normal healthy tissues in the body thereby causing side effects. These side effects causes a lot of anxiety in cancer patients although they might not as bad as you will expect.
The normal cells most likely to be affected are blood forming cells in the bone marrow, hair follicles; and cells in the mouth, digestive tract, and reproductive system. Some chemo drugs can damage cells in the heart, kidneys, bladder, lungs, and nervous system. In some cases, medicines called cytoprotective drugs may be given with the chemo to protect the body's normal cells.
The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the type and dose of drugs you are given and on how long they are used for. These side effects can include:
* hair loss
* mouth sores
* loss of appetite
* nausea and vomiting
* increased chance of infections (due to low white blood cell counts)
* easy bruising or bleeding (due to low blood platelet counts)
* fatigue (due to low red blood cell counts)
These side effects are usually short-term and go away after treatment is finished. There are often ways to lessen these side effects.
One of the commonest side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss also known as alopecia.This can be devastating experience, especially in women. Not all chemo drugs will make you lose your hair. Some people have mild thinning that they only notice. Your doctor will be able to tell you if your medicines are likely to make you lose your hair.
When you lose hair during treatments it will usually grow back after treatment although it might be of different color or texture.
You can lose your hair on all parts of your body, not just your head. Facial hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows; arm and leg hair; underarm hair; and pubic hair all may be affected. It usually doesn't happen right away. More often, hair loss begins after a few treatments. At that point, your hair may fall out slowly or in clumps. Any hair that remains may become dull and dry.
These following steps will help to reduce hair loss when you are on chemotherapy:
* Use mild shampoos.
* Use soft hair brushes.
* Use low heat if you must use a hair dryer.
* Don't use brush rollers to set your hair.
* Don't dye your hair or get a perm.
* Have your hair cut short. A shorter style will make your hair look thicker and fuller. It also will make hair loss easier to deal with if it does happen.
* Use a sunscreen, hat, scarf, or wig to protect your scalp from the sun.
* Use a satin pillowcase.
Sometimes, either during the regrowth of your hair or when you are bald, your scalp may feel extra tender, dry, and itchy. Keeping your scalp clean by using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner may help. Use gentle creams or lotions on your scalp as needed. Even a gentle scalp massage may make your scalp feel better.
After chemo, it is advised that you wait till your hair returns to normal before you use hair dyes,{this takes about 6 months after completion of treatment}as hair dyes are known to contain chemicals like peroxide that can damage the hair and chemotherapy might make the damage worse.
Side Effects Of Hair Loss
One of the most alarming facts that have brought in a headache in every mind is the problem of hair loss. A great number of people are suffering from this problem. It is normal to shed some hair each day, but some people loose excessive hair each day and this is considered as a problem and may ultimately result in premature baldness.
There are various reasons which can cause hair loss. It is often seen that after a long illness or a medical surgery one may loose large amount of hair. This is due to the stress of the illness and is temporary. Similar is the case of women loosing hair after pregnancy. But this temporary is not at all a matter of serious concern because after this stress period is over the normal process of growing and falling of hair starts again. There are also some medicines which cause hair loss. This is also remedied as soon as the intake of such medicines is stopped. Too much intake if vitamin A may also cause hair fall. Any type of mental stress is also a reason for hair loss.
Another important reason for hair loss is hormonal problem. If the thyroid gland is overactive or under active it may result in hair loss. But the most common and unavoidable reason behind hair loss is undoubtedly improper care of hair or rough usage. Sometimes inappropriate use of colors and harmful chemicals result in unnatural hair loss. Too much stress also causes hair loss. Malnutrition, chemotherapy, and a form of lupus can also cause hair loss.
But though these factors are quite alarming, the good news is that now there are a lot of processes and treatments by which this problem can be solved. Homeopathy has several treatment modes to combat this problem. Though the procedure of treatment takes a long time but it is often seen to have very effective results. Actually the treatment of hair loss through homeopathy depends on the nature of the problem. Now a days Aromatherapy is also becoming popular in treatment of unnatural hair fall. Different herbs and natural ingredients are used in aromatherapy to treat hair fall damage. The age old treatment of Ayurveda can also provide many effective remedies for hair loss.
Doctors often prescribe some dietary recommendations for controlling hair loss. It is quite interesting that intake of vitamin A in diet is in the both way responsible for hair loss and hair growth depending upon the dosage taken. The presence of vitamin B in foods like egg yolks, meat and other food items helps in controlling hair loss. Both vitamin C and vitamin E are very effective in controlling hair loss if taken in proper proportion. A low-carbohydrate diet along with leafy vegetables and fruits enriched with lots of protein is always recommended for healthy hair.
But besides all these it is strongly recommended to have a proper diagnosis of the nature of the problem before taking any step in controlling hair loss. The reason behind this is that taking any step without proper knowledge of the actual problem or the actual reason of hair fall may result in a negative way and may cause farther damage to hair.
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