How to Manage Hair Loss During Chemotherapy

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Embrace your temporary hair loss.

   Losing your hair can be emotionally challenging.
   
   Accepting hair loss from chemo won’t happen overnight, in part because hair loss is often devastating for women and men.
   
   Keeping in mind that it is only temporary and a part of making you healthy again can help you embrace it more easily., For example, don’t wear a wig, hat, or scarf at night or one day a week.
   
   You can build up to never using an aid or only on occasions when it’s absolutely necessary.Give yourself daily positive affirmations such as “I am strong and beautiful and will beat this cancer—hair or no hair!” This can boost your confidence and may make it easier to accept your hair loss., Most people are kind, especially if they know you’re battling cancer.
   
   However, there are still some social stigmas attached to hair loss and cancer, such as robbing the person of privacy about their illness and lowering of status.These may cause you stress, anxiety, or embarrassment.
   
   Confronting negativity and your own feelings may help you get your feelings and focus on promoting your health.See a counselor or doctor to help you actively manage your feelings.
   
   Friends and loved ones can also provide you with support. , It may be stressful thinking about how people will react to your hair loss.
   
   Letting friends, family members, and co-workers know about potential hair loss can help avoid uncomfortable questions or looks.
   
   This may help you be more at ease and able to focus on your health.Be open about your condition.
   
   Saying, “I’m undergoing chemo and it’s caused me to lose my hair” can dissolve tension or minimize unwelcome glances from other people.
   
   Let people know if shaving their own heads to support you is a welcome gesture or not., Meeting and discussing your chemo-related hair loss with a support group can offer you unconditional support from others who understand what you’re experiencing.
   
   It may also help you get past your feelings about your hair loss.Sign up for online or local support groups and even courses about hair loss and how to manage it.For example, the American Cancer Society has courses on coping with self-esteem issues related to cancer.
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   Step 2: Allow yourself to gradually get used to your condition.

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   Step 3: Be aware of social stigmas.

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   Step 4: Communicate with people.

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   Step 5: Join a support group for hair loss.

Detailed Guide

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