Chemotherapy and Female Hair Loss

At the recent ISHRS medical meeting in San Diego this past week (October 18-22), there was a suggestion that women who lose their hair from chemotherapy and do not treat the loss with medications such as minoxidil, may recover with better hair in the long term than those who are aggresssively treating their hair loss. The rationale for this appears to be interference with the normal growth cycling. If the chemotherapy causes the hair to go into its normal telogen cycle (rest) and the cycle completes itself, the hair is more likely to grow fuller than if the cycle is forced to be curtailed with these drugs. This is an interesting view of the chemotherapy hair loss problem.