By: Peter Hutch
Hair loss is an obvious side effect of chemotherapy. Before starting a course of chemotherapy, it is a good idea to decide how you will cope with hair loss and explore your options fully before deciding what would work best for you. There are many factors to take into account when choosing how best to cope with hair loss caused by chemotherapy. Your decision will vary according to whether you are a man, woman, or child going through cancer and chemotherapy.
Hair grows, then rests, then falls out. Each hair follicle on your scalp produces a number of hairs throughout your life. Hair grows from the follicle at the rate of about 1cm a month for about three years. After that time that hair will die and no longer grow and simply sit dormant in the follicle for a further three months. After that three month interval the next hair starts to grow out of the follicle and, as it grows, it pushes the original one out. This is a cycle that continues throughout life.
There are various nutrients needed in the body that can cause an individual to either improve their rate of hair growth or lose their hair. The minerals -zinc and iron- have been linked to hair growth and loss. If a woman stops taking these tablets, she is predisposing herself to being bald. Once a woman is pregnant, she needs to have a diet full of vegetables and fruits as they have antioxidants capable of promoting increased hair growth.
During pregnancy, the female body produces high levels of Estrogen to help the growth and health of your baby and of you! This increased level of Estrogen causes more hair growth by sending signals to the follicles. This also speeds up your metabolism, sending more nutrients everywhere in your body, including your scalp.
Hair loss during pregnancy is a very normal phenomenon. Don’t fret over it. This is a temporarily phase so you really don’t need to worry about it. Once the baby is delivered, your hair will grow back in no time. Hair loss during pregnancy period is very natural. In many women the hair loss is low however some may experience a significant hair fall. Hormonal changes in your body are the major reason for hair loss during pregnancy. The intensity varies with every woman.
Hormone changes also affect the overall structure of the hair. So if you previously had curly hair, you might find that it has gone straight, or vice-versa. Again, this is all part of the hormone imbalance and after time you should see things gradually get back to normal.
Oil Massages
Regular oil massage helps the scalp to remain conditioned. You can try various relaxing oils for your head massage. There are some essential oils which can be used during pregnancy. After the massage give your hair a luxurious steam with a warm towel and relax. This would surely help reduce the hair loss after pregnancy.
Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
