Hair Changes

Changes to head hair after cancer treatment commonly include permanent or long-term texture shifts, altered colour, and persistent thinning or permanent localized hair loss from high-dose radiation.

Common Long-Term Hair Changes

• Textual shifts: Straight hair may regrow tightly curled, wavy, or significantly finer due to temporary follicle damage
• Pigment variations: Melanin production can be disrupted, causing hair to return silver, grey, or a different shade than before
• Fragility and thinning: New strands may remain brittle, dry, or prone to breakage as follicles fully recover
• Permanent radiation alopecia: High-dose radiation therapy to specific areas can leave permanent bald patches where hair fails to regrow

Tips for hair loss or thinning

• Use gentle hair products such as baby shampoos or pH neutral shampoo
• Don't use perms or hair colours on thinning hair. Colours may not take well and perms can damage the hair
• Use a soft baby brush and comb thinning hair gently
• Avoid using hair dryers, curling tongs, hair straighteners and curlers on thinning hair and pat your hair dry after washing
• If your scalp flakes or itches, this means it is dry. Use oil or moisturiser, not dandruff shampoo
• Protect your scalp by covering your head in the sun

Body Hair

Long-term changes to body hair after cancer treatment can include altered texture, different growth density, or permanent sparse areas. While head and body hair usually regrow 6 to 12 weeks post-chemotherapy, follicles can behave differently. Some people experience lighter body and facial hair, which may eventually normalize or persist as a new baseline

Common Long-Term Body Hair Shifts

• Texture and Curl: Regrown hair—including arm, leg, and pubic hair—frequently comes in with a different wave pattern or finer structure
• Density Changes: Hair can grow back thinner or patchy compared to pre-treatment thickness, or conversely, appear denser in unexpected spots
• Color Variations: Regrowth may temporarily or permanently emerge a shade lighter, darker, or gray
• Targeted Therapy Effects: Certain long-term medications, like hormone therapy or specific targeted inhibitors, can cause persistent thinning or unexpected localized growth
• Rare Permanent Loss: Permanent or semi-permanent localized absence of body or head hair can occasionally happen depending on specific high-dose regimens

As noted by Cancer Research UK, “Instead of hair loss, some targeted cancer drugs cause hair growth in unexpected areas of the body.”