{"entity":{"id":"scalp-care-cancer-treatment","kind":"technology","name":"Scalp care during and after cancer treatment","aka":[],"tldr":"A bare scalp burns in sun it has never met, loses heat fast in cold, and is more easily irritated while treatment is going on. The measures are small and free, and they are the part of hair loss a person can act on from the first week.","summary":"The National Cancer Institute's guidance for people losing hair to cancer treatment is specific and worth following literally: treat the hair gently, with a soft-bristled brush or wide-tooth comb; wash with a mild shampoo, less often and gently, patting dry with a soft towel; avoid hair dryers, irons, gels and clips that can hurt the scalp; use sunscreen or a hat outdoors; keep the head warm with a comfortable covering; and use lotion or conditioner if the scalp itches or feels tender. Some people cut their hair short before it starts to fall so the change is less abrupt, and those who shave are advised to use an electric shaver rather than a blade. During radiotherapy to the head the same gentleness applies to irradiated skin, which is more fragile than it looks and should be washed with lukewarm water and a mild soap rather than scrubbed.\n\nWhen hair starts to grow back, the same source asks for gentleness again: less brushing, curling and blow-drying, and less frequent washing. Colouring and perming are generally left until the new hair is a few centimetres long and the scalp is comfortable, with a patch test first, because new growth is finer and the skin beneath it is more reactive. None of this has been through a randomised trial, which is why the grade here is moderate rather than strong: it is consistent advice from the cancer institutes and from dermatology practice, resting on the physiology of a scalp with no hair on it, not on a controlled comparison.","status":"established","asOf":"2026-10-02","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalp","links":[{"label":"National Cancer Institute: hair loss (alopecia) and cancer treatment","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/hair-loss"},{"label":"American Cancer Society: hair loss","url":"https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/hair-skin-nails/hair-loss.html"},{"label":"Macmillan Cancer Support: hair loss","url":"https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/hair-loss"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","hair-loss","evidence:moderate"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["rejuvenation","supportive-care","chemotherapy","radiation"],"technologies":["scalp-cooling","wigs-cranial-prosthesis","cytotoxic-chemotherapy","imrt-igrt"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["hair-anagen-effluvium","hair-regrowth-after-chemotherapy","alopecia-radiotherapy-persistent"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-toxicity-qol"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Hair shields the scalp from ultraviolet light, abrasion and heat loss. Removing it exposes skin that has never been conditioned to any of the three, at a time when treatment has also made that skin more reactive and slower to repair.","strengths":["Free, immediate and entirely under the reader's control","Consistent guidance from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and Macmillan","Prevents sunburn on skin that has never been exposed"],"limitations":["No randomised evidence; this is physiology and consistent practice, not trial data","Does nothing to prevent or reverse the hair loss itself","Scalp cooling adds its own requirements, which the unit sets"]},"route":"/technologies/scalp-care-cancer-treatment/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"chemotherapy","kind":"section","name":"Chemotherapy","route":"/fronts/chemotherapy/"},{"id":"radiation","kind":"section","name":"Radiation Therapy","route":"/fronts/radiation/"},{"id":"rejuvenation","kind":"section","name":"Recovery & Rejuvenation","route":"/fronts/rejuvenation/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"hair-camouflage-and-restoration","kind":"technology","name":"Camouflage and restoration: fibres, micropigmentation, transplantation","route":"/technologies/hair-camouflage-and-restoration/"},{"id":"cytotoxic-chemotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Cytotoxic chemotherapy","route":"/technologies/cytotoxic-chemotherapy/"},{"id":"imrt-igrt","kind":"technology","name":"IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)","route":"/technologies/imrt-igrt/"},{"id":"scalp-cooling","kind":"technology","name":"Scalp cooling (cold caps: DigniCap, Paxman)","route":"/technologies/scalp-cooling/"},{"id":"wigs-cranial-prosthesis","kind":"technology","name":"Wigs, cranial prostheses and head coverings","route":"/technologies/wigs-cranial-prosthesis/"}],"term":[{"id":"hair-anagen-effluvium","kind":"term","name":"Anagen effluvium (chemotherapy hair loss)","route":"/terms/hair-anagen-effluvium/"},{"id":"alopecia-radiotherapy-persistent","kind":"term","name":"Persistent radiation-induced alopecia","route":"/terms/alopecia-radiotherapy-persistent/"},{"id":"hair-regrowth-after-chemotherapy","kind":"term","name":"Regrowth after chemotherapy (chemo curls)","route":"/terms/hair-regrowth-after-chemotherapy/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-toxicity-qol","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued","route":"/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/"}]}}