“How soon does radiation cause hair loss?”
I am a 51 year old female starting radiation soon. I was wondering how soon does radiation cause hair loss?
3 Answers
Dr. Joshua N. Halpern
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation does not spread outside the treated area. Hair loss could only be caused by some, but not all chemotherapy agents.
Hair loss only happens to patient who receives brain irradiation usually occurs about 2 weeks into treatment. It comes out in small bunch then all will be gone about 1-2 weeks
Radiation will only cause hair loss if treatment is directed at the area of hair in question. When treating with whole brain radiation, it is common for patient a to see some thinning after 2 weeks with hair regrowth after 6-8 weeks. If higher doses are needed such as for a primary brain tumor, we tend to see some permanent hair loss near the area being treated after 5-6 weeks. Most hair loss for patients is a result of chemotherapy.
