Earlier this week, actress Shannen Doherty, who’s been diagnosed with breast cancer, posted several heart-wrenching pictures on Instagram of her shaving her head. “Cupcake pan, chocolates, and a razor…Stay tuned. @annemkortright has got this. #cancersucks #thankgodforfriends,” Doherty wrote in the caption of a photo before posting a series of six pictures that showed the steps she went through of shaving her head. The Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed actress was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015, and her photo series shed light on an emotionally difficult transition many people with cancer (particularly women) go through: the loss of their hair.
“Hair loss is a societal focal point that says, ‘I’m a cancer patient, and I’m receiving cancer treatment,’” Timothy Panella, M.D., a medical oncologist with The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute, tells SELF.
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While cancer itself doesn’t typically cause hair loss, a common treatment for the disease does. “Chemotherapy kills rapidly growing cells, so you can get side effects in three areas,” Panella says. Bone marrow, which typically regenerates quickly, is affected—and this results in low blood cell counts and an increased risk of infection. The lining of your mouth and your gastrointestinal tract are also areas that have a high rate of cell turnover, so patients going through chemo often experience mouth sores and diarrhea. Finally, hair follicles are also affected, particularly those on a patient’s head.
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It’s not uncommon for cancer patients to decide to shave their heads before they lose all of their hair, just as Doherty did, Panella says. Here’s Doherty at the end of the brave process, which has garnered tons of supportive comments from fans.
“People typically tell me two reasons [for shaving their heads before they fully lose their hair],” Panella explains. “One is that they know they’re going to lose their hair, so they want to be in control.” The other is that, when hair starts to fall out, it can get on everything and become extremely inconvenient, Panella says. “It clogs up the shower, it gets all over your pillow, and it’s a mess. Some women cut it off so it’s a controlled mess and they can get it all [at once].”
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
