Radiation and hair

mollyz
mollyz Member Posts: 756 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Does radiation take your hair out? I start rads in February. MollyZ

Comments

  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #2
    Depends on which hair you're talking about
    Hi, Molly -

    Radiation to breasts does not affect hair on your head in any way.

    If you've known anyone who's had radiation for other forms of cancer, and has maybe had radiation to the head/neck area, then yes, they may have had hair loss from it, but not radiation to breasts.

    If the treatment field includes the lymph nodes under your arms, then you will probably lose the hair there. Even if you're not getting radiation specifically to the lymph nodes, breast tissue extends over far enough that you may still lose a section(s) of your underarm hair. Since radiation, my underarm hair grows in a funny pattern -- kind of looks like crop circles! :-)

    Hope that helps,

    Traci
  • mollyz
    mollyz Member Posts: 756 Member
    #3
    TraciInLA said:

    Depends on which hair you're talking about
    Hi, Molly -

    Radiation to breasts does not affect hair on your head in any way.

    If you've known anyone who's had radiation for other forms of cancer, and has maybe had radiation to the head/neck area, then yes, they may have had hair loss from it, but not radiation to breasts.

    If the treatment field includes the lymph nodes under your arms, then you will probably lose the hair there. Even if you're not getting radiation specifically to the lymph nodes, breast tissue extends over far enough that you may still lose a section(s) of your underarm hair. Since radiation, my underarm hair grows in a funny pattern -- kind of looks like crop circles! :-)

    Hope that helps,

    Traci

    MY Head
    Thanks,it was my head i was talking about and yes there is lymph node involvement thank you so much. MollyZ
  • Angie2U
    Angie2U Member Posts: 2,991
    #4
    mollyz said:

    MY Head
    Thanks,it was my head i was talking about and yes there is lymph node involvement thank you so much. MollyZ

    You will probably lose the
    You will probably lose the hair under your arms. I think everyone does. But, you don't lose it for rads for breast cancer. I don't know if you lose it if you are having rads to your head or not. You might just at the spot that they are radiating. Is that what you are having? Rads to your head?
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #5
    Angie2U said:

    You will probably lose the
    You will probably lose the hair under your arms. I think everyone does. But, you don't lose it for rads for breast cancer. I don't know if you lose it if you are having rads to your head or not. You might just at the spot that they are radiating. Is that what you are having? Rads to your head?

    Thank you Traci and Angie .. I didn't know this ...
    Vicki Sam
  • Betsy13
    Betsy13 Member Posts: 185
    #6
    nope...
    I had 33 rads and didn't lose one hair on my head or anywhere else. It did get drier...

    I also noticed now (finished rads 5/28) that my finger nails and toe nails
    are spliting into layers, but that's it.

    Hope it helps!
    Betsy
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #7
    No hair before!
    I didn't have any hair on my body when I started rads.
  • mollyz
    mollyz Member Posts: 756 Member
    #8
    Angie2U said:

    You will probably lose the
    You will probably lose the hair under your arms. I think everyone does. But, you don't lose it for rads for breast cancer. I don't know if you lose it if you are having rads to your head or not. You might just at the spot that they are radiating. Is that what you are having? Rads to your head?

    @Angie
    I'm having rads to my left breast thanks MollyZ
  • mollyz
    mollyz Member Posts: 756 Member
    #9
    Rague said:

    No hair before!
    I didn't have any hair on my body when I started rads.

    A inch and a half
    I have about an inch and a half and thought rads might make that little bit come out thanks ladies I'm so proud of it LOL.MollyZ
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #10
    mollyz said:

    @Angie
    I'm having rads to my left breast thanks MollyZ

    You should not lose any hair
    You should not lose any hair on your head molly. You will lose it under your arm and wherever you are having the treatment, but, not your head.


    Good luck to you with your treatments,


    Lex
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #11
    Betsy13 said:

    nope...
    I had 33 rads and didn't lose one hair on my head or anywhere else. It did get drier...

    I also noticed now (finished rads 5/28) that my finger nails and toe nails
    are spliting into layers, but that's it.

    Hope it helps!
    Betsy

    I didn't lose any hair on my
    I didn't lose any hair on my head from rads. Like the others wrote, I think that would be only if you had rads to your head.

    Betsy, do your doctors think your nails are splitting because of chemo? Or, rads? I have seen others reply about chemo affecting their nails.


    Debby

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