Hair loss (also called alopecia) can be a difficult side effect of certain lung cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Losing your hair can draw unwanted attention, especially when it means you have to explain your diagnosis and treatment regimen to people who ask about your hair.

Learning more about lung cancer and related hair loss can make it easier to deal with it when it happens. Keep reading for info on what causes hair loss with lung cancer and what other people with lung cancer have said about it.

What Causes Hair Loss With Lung Cancer?

You may experience a number of physical changes when living with lung cancer. Hair loss is one, along with other physical changes like weight loss.

Lung cancer itself will not cause you to lose your hair. Instead, some treatments for lung cancer — chemotherapy and radiation therapy — can cause hair loss as a side effect — alongside others like post-treatment rash, mouth sores, and low white blood cell count.

Chemotherapy targets cells in your body that grow quickly. While it helps kill cancer cells, it may also target hair cells and hair follicles throughout your body, causing your hair to fall out. Not all types of chemotherapy cause hair loss, and some people may only experience hair thinning or other side effects.

Radiation therapy for lung cancer works by using high-energy particles or waves — such as X-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons — to destroy or damage cancer cells. Whereas chemotherapy can cause hair loss anywhere on your body, regardless of where the cancer is, radiation therapy generally only causes hair loss in the specific area of the body it targets. If a person is receiving radiation therapy targeting their lungs, they may lose hair on the chest or abdomen. However, if a person receives radiation therapy to treat cancer that has, for example, metastasized (spread) to the brain, they may experience hair loss on their head as a result.

It’s important to talk to your oncologist about the specifics of the medications and treatments you will be on and what you might experience, so the side effects don’t come as a surprise.

How Hair Loss Affects People Living With Lung Cancer

Hair loss from lung cancer treatment can affect people in different ways. For some people, even the thought of losing their hair brings up difficult feelings and grief. One member of MyLungCancerTeam said, “I have long hair and am thinking I should shave my head if hair loss starts. I cry at the thought of this. I am sick of crying.”

For others, hair loss is part of what makes their lung cancer diagnosis a reality. One person shared, “My hair started falling out so I cut it off, then it hit me about my cancer.”

Others find that hair loss doesn’t affect them very much. “It does not concern me at all for some reason to lose hair,” one member explained. “I ordered some hats and that’s my plan.”

Hair loss can affect the hair all over your body, not just what’s on your head. This includes:

• Hair on your face, like your eyebrows, eyelashes, and nose hair
• Armpit hair
• Pubic hair
• Other body hair

This can be a shock for some people. One member exclaimed, “I have no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair ANYWHERE!”

How To Handle Hair Loss Associated With Lung Cancer Treatments

There are a few things you can do to help yourself handle the hair loss that comes with your lung cancer treatment.

Let Yourself Have Feelings About Hair Loss

It’s normal to experience difficult feelings when dealing with hair loss as a side effect of your cancer treatments. You may feel angry, anxious, depressed, sad, or have several feelings at once. As one person on MyLungCancerTeam said, “Every time I brush my hair, I end up crying. Well, I can’t do anything about it.”

It’s OK to let yourself feel these things. The emotional aspects of losing your hair are legitimate and deserve care. Ask your doctor to help you add a social worker, therapist, or support group to your lung cancer team to help cope with the side effects of chemotherapy and other lung cancer treatments.

Stay Positive About Hair Loss

It helps some people to remember that hair loss comes as a result of fighting cancer. The fact that you are losing your hair means you’re still doing everything you can to treat your condition.

One member of MyLungCancerTeam encouraged another with these words: “I have yet to see a person who did not look beautiful after losing her hair. Wear it with pride! You are a warrior and will be inspiring many others with your cancer journey.”

Cut Your Hair Before You Lose It

Some people choose to cut their hair or shave their heads before their hair falls out. For some people, chemo can cause scalp discomfort, such as itchiness or irritation. Cutting hair before treatment can help prevent that.

One MyLungCancerTeam member did this and explained, “I shaved my hair off before chemo treatment. It had the benefit of me not seeing hair on my pillow. It was my psychological way of saying that I was in control and not the cancer.”

You can even do this after you start losing hair, especially if the experience is harder than you thought it would be. “I’m going to get my head shaved today, which I have realized I need to for my quality of life,” one member shared. “Seeing all my hair in my brush was bringing me down.”

Invest in Head Coverings You Love

Head coverings can include hats, wigs, hair pieces, scarves, and more. Some people find that covering their heads helps them cope with hair loss better than walking around knowing others can see their hair loss.

“I completely lost my hair on the second treatment,” a MyLungCancerTeam member noted. “It is devastating, but I went and got a wig before I lost it completely.”

Other people don’t want to wear a wig but like to wear hats or other head coverings. Another member shared, “Yesterday I went shopping for some hats. I found really cute ones and all at a good price so I had fun shopping and trying on hats!”

You can choose whatever type of hair covering seems best for your needs.

Prevent Hair Loss During and Promote Hair Regrowth After Lung Cancer Treatment

Although there’s no guarantee that you can prevent hair loss while undergoing treatment for lung cancer, there are solutions that work for some people. You’ll need to talk to your doctor, oncology team, or cancer care specialist to determine which (if any) of these options are right for you.

Most of the time, your hair will grow back by itself once treatment is over, though it may be a different color or texture than it was before. Your health care team should tell you before starting treatment if your hair is unlikely to grow back after treatment. A MyLungCancerTeam member noted, “My hair started growing back about three to four weeks after stopping chemo. My mustache is actually thicker than before.”

Try a Cool Cap

Some oncology teams recommend using a cool cap (also called a cooling cap or a cold cap) during chemotherapy to help preserve your hair. These caps constrict (narrow) blood vessels so your scalp does not get as much of the chemotherapy drug during treatment.

While research on cool caps is ongoing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved cool caps for use during chemotherapy. If you would like to try one, talk to your doctor to find out what is involved and if your health insurance will cover it.

Talk to Your Doctor About Hair Regrowth Medications

Minoxidil is a topical treatment that helps some types of hair loss. One small study showed that it helped reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. It’s important to note that this study only involved 22 women and focused on breast cancer. More research is needed to determine if minoxidil is useful during chemotherapy.

Minoxidil may also help your hair grow back faster after treatment is over. Once again, though, additional research is needed before anyone can know for sure. If you’re interested in trying it, talk to your health care provider for medical advice.

Try Other Meds and Supplements

While some vitamins and minerals are helpful for hair growth, it’s important to note that there’s very little research suggesting supplementation would help prevent hair loss or promote hair regrowth. It’s important to speak with your doctor before starting supplements and to ask how they may interact with your treatments. Know that more research is needed before you can get definitive answers about what might help your hair growth.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyLungCancerTeam is the social network for people with lung cancer and their loved ones. On MyLungCancerTeam, more than 12,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with lung cancer.

Are you wondering about hair loss on your lung cancer journey? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.