Does hair dye affect cancer chemotherapy patients?

My mother is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and has a lot of gray hair. I plan to dye her hair for Tet so she can be more confident. Will that affect her? (Ho Hien, Vung Tau)

Reply:

Currently, there are many treatment methods for cancer such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy... In which, chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, using chemical drugs to destroy cancer cells.

During drug treatment, cancer patients may experience some side effects such as loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, hair breakage, hair loss, and hair color changes. The degree of hair damage depends on the type of drug used. Hair dyeing helps enhance physical beauty, thereby positively affecting the psychology and creating confidence for patients, especially at crowded parties and on holidays.

However, patients undergoing radiation therapy or non-chemotherapy (hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy) should consult their physician before dyeing their hair.

For patients undergoing chemotherapy, like your mother, doctors recommend not dyeing or perming their hair during treatment. The hair of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is often thinner and weaker than normal. Using chemicals during this time can easily lead to more serious damage.

Dyeing your hair while undergoing chemotherapy can easily damage your hair. Illustration: Freepik — Dyeing your hair while undergoing chemotherapy can easily damage your hair. Illustration: *Freepik*

Hair dye products often contain chemicals that can affect the scalp, causing irritation, dryness and itching. The painful burning sensation on the scalp when using hair dye can also cause discomfort.

The American Cancer Society also recommends that cancer patients should not perm, dye or use chemicals on their hair during cancer treatment, especially when undergoing chemotherapy. The best time to do hair is at least 6 months after the end of chemotherapy, because this is the shortest time needed for new and healthy hair to grow.

In cases where cancer treatment does not cause hair loss and there are no other scalp problems, cancer patients can dye their hair but should also consult their treating doctor.

Patients should look into herbal hair dyes, which have low chemical dosages, or products specifically designed for people undergoing cancer treatment.

MD.CKII Nguyen Tran Anh Thu
Oncology Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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