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Children Hair Loss Cancer

Hair loss and children with cancer

When children are living with cancer, the first concern of the parents and doctors is usually their health and fighting the cancer. However, for children, the loss of their hair can become the most important issue. Hair loss in children is different than hair loss in adults - many adults are fine with wearing scarves or just being bald. Children are trying so hard not to be "different", and hair loss makes children look different at first glance.

Often, children begin to lose their hair due to chemotherapy after a few weeks of treatment. Chemo is designed to attack fast growing cancer cells, and because hair is also fast growing, the chemotherapy also attacks the hair follicles. Hair usually starts to thin slowly, and then falls out in larger clumps as the treatments continue. Hair will usually begin to grow back several weeks after treatments stop, but it is best to speak with a health care provider, as there are always exceptions.

Children experiencing hair loss due to cancer or other ailments have many more options now than they did even a decade ago. There are hats that have a little hair on the bottom, full wigs, scarves in many different patterns, and a variety of other types of hat. Some charities help children afford the wigs, others help teach schoolchildren about reasons why a child might have no hair, and others have special dolls without hair to help boost the spirits of the child with hair loss.

When children with cancer are attending school, the educational team needs to be made aware of the hair loss potential. The teacher may wish to address the topic in class so there are no awkward questions once the child begins losing hair. In some cases, other children want to shave their heads to "match" the children with cancer hair loss, a show of support that can brighten a sick child's day. Schools may have regulations about hats, scarves, and other hair coverings during school hours, and adaptations to those rules can frequently be made for a child with hair loss due to cancer or another ailment.