The body’s hair-producing hair mother cells undergo repeated and active cell division. Chemotherapy (anti-cancer agent) acts on the hair mother cells and therefore tends to cause hair loss. Hair loss usually appears 2-3 weeks after the start of treatment and gradually worsens over 4-8 weeks. In addition to hair, in some cases eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair are also lost. At the end of each session, shaggy hair grows back, but hair loss resumes a few weeks after the start of the next session. There is no way to prevent hair loss, but after about six months to a year after the end of treatment, hair will grow back and you can say goodbye to wigs. The main factors that ultimately determine whether your hair will be affected by chemotherapy are the type of drug applied, the dose of the drug, the time between each course of treatment, the number of chemotherapy sessions, and the route of administration (oral or IV). Some of the drugs that are prone to hair loss side effects are as follows: ■ High risk Anthracycline (epi-amycin) Purple Shirtane (multi-series paclitaxel, paclitaxel) ■ Moderate risk Silymycin C Cyclophosphamide Methotrexate Fluorouracil-based agents (fluorouracil, uracil-tegafur formulation, capecitabine, TS1, etc.) ● Hair will tend to become very sore and itchy, so it is recommended to use a neutral pH shampoo. You don’t need to wash your hair every day, and the number of times you wash your hair can be reduced ● Cut your nails short before washing your hair ● Hair brushes should have soft bristles and large bristle gaps ● When using a hair dryer, use a low temperature setting to prevent irritation of the scalp and hair ● Make good use of wigs and hats ● Moisturize Try to moisturize your scalp and keep it intact. This will reduce discomfort such as unusual dryness and itching of the scalp.