Adding to the devastating diagnosis of cancer, female patients also have to deal with the loss of their crowning glory when they undergo chemotherapy. Most women would agree that their hair plays a big part in their looks and self-confidence. So when cancer strikes and a woman has to start chemotherapy, the impending hair loss can make dealing with the big C even more stressful and emotional.
Many cancer patients decide to shave their heads to avoid dealing with hair loss during chemotherapy – they may opt to wear a wig instead. “I wasn’t really affected by the hair loss personally but I didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention,” she added. “Wearing a wig allowed me to still enjoy those moments of being out with my family and friends.”
“For many cancer patients, the wig is not just a cosmetic thing. It also buys us time to recalibrate our thoughts and emotions, and our views of how we want to lead our lives. It took me a while to feel confident enough to go without it. Then, there is a ground-up initiative called Project Haircatchers, started in 2017 by a group of Nanyang Girls’ High School students to collect hair and donations to make wigs. In 2022, the girls gave out 136 wigs to beneficiaries including the Breast Cancer Foundation Singapore and the Cancer Society of Maldives.
“Cooling the scalp constricts the blood vessels there, resulting in less chemotherapy drugs reaching the hair follicles,” said Dr Lim. Cooling too, means less of the drug can penetrate the hair follicle, reducing damage.