Why Does Hair Fall Out?

Maybe you've seen a kid or a grown-up with cancer who has no hair. You might wonder why.

Why it happens

Some cancer medicine is called chemo (that's short for chemotherapy). Chemo goes after cells that grow fast, like cancer cells.

But here's the tricky part: the cells that grow your hair are also fast-growing cells. So the medicine can't always tell the difference, and the hair falls out for a while. Doctors call this alopecia.

Two important things

• It usually doesn't hurt. Sometimes your head might feel itchy or tender. If it does, tell a grown-up or a nurse. They can help.
• It usually comes back. Most of the time, the hair grows back after the cancer treatment is finished. Sometimes it even comes back a little curly or a different color at first — kind of a fun surprise.

While the hair is gone

Lots of kids wear soft hats, cozy caps, or colorful scarves — some pick a different one for every day. Some kids decide to go without anything at all, and that's great too. There's no wrong way to do it.

If your friend's hair fell out, you can treat them exactly the same as always. They're still the same person underneath — hair or no hair.