Hair Extensions After Chemo and Radiation Therapy

At Chicago Hair Extensions Salon we know how hard hair loss after cancer treatment can be, especially for young single women. Sometimes women will feel that the toughest part of the battle is coping with the loss of their hair. Our mission is to bring back your confidence by making you feel beautiful and pretty again. Hair extensions can be applied as soon as your hair grows to a length of about 4 or 5 inches.

Hair Growth After Cancer Treatment

If you have lost some or all of your hair as a result of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or you are awaiting cancer treatment in the near future, you may have questions and concerns about how you are going to cope with the changes in your appearance. Some women adapt very quickly to having little or no hair, especially if they have worn a shorter style before, but others find their sense of self is distorted and suffer from a lack of self-confidence. Following cancer treatments, hair doesn’t necessarily grow back in the same way as it did before, especially at first.

Hair Growth After Chemo

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy affect your hair growth differently. Hair recovers more quickly under chemotherapy and new growth sometimes begins before the end of the treatment. Within six months you could find you have a full head of hair again. As your hair gets long enough you might want to consider hair extensions to speed up the recovery process.

Hair Growth After Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy can cause more problems with hair regrowth. Sometimes the hair doesn’t grow back at all, while other patients report patchy growth or thinning. The early weeks of regrowth can be a bit of a shock as your hair might grow back in a different way to normal. It can be finer than usual or the texture or color may change; people with naturally straight hair may find they become curly. Often these changes are short-lived and, given time, the hair reverts to its pre-treatment quality. While your hair is growing back, it is advisable to use an aqueous cream to keep your scalp hydrated and healthy, before moving on to gentle, natural plant-based shampoos and conditioners. After your hair reaches a certain length, extensions may become an option.

Professional Hair Extensions as a Solution

The benefit of hair extensions is that you can achieve a healthy head of hair in a fraction of the time it would take to grow back naturally. If you decide that you would prefer hair extensions to a wig, it is important that you talk with a qualified and professional hair stylist, remembering to tell him or her type of treatment you underwent and any medication you are on. Following cancer treatment, hair is often lacking in protein and can be vulnerable to breaking. A professional stylist will be able to assess the health of your scalp and test the strength of your hair before deciding whether hair extensions are feasible or not and the type of extension that would work best. They will also ensure the extensions are not made too tight which can lead to shedding. If a hair extension is not viable, there are wigs that are specifically designed for people with a sensitive or damaged scalp. Coloring hair after cancer treatment is not recommended for at least six weeks, with semi-permanent color preferable to permanent. Hair extensions after chemo or radiotherapy can help women come out of their treatment stronger than ever. For a full transformation, contact our professional stylists which have experience in helping women who have endured cancer treatment. They will consult you on the best options to regain your style and confidence as your hair grows. And rest easy – hair extensions do NOT interfere with hair regrowth.