Does chemotherapy cause hair loss?

Not all chemotherapy causes hair loss. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), some types of chemotherapy can cause the hair on your head and other parts of your body to fall out, so whether it happens depends on the specific drugs you receive — talk with your health care team to learn if your treatment causes hair loss. When hair loss does occur, hair often grows back about 2 to 3 months after treatment ends. It may be very fine at first, and sometimes grows back curlier, straighter, or even a different color, though in time it may return to how it was before. This is general information, not personal medical advice.

Last updated: 2026-07-13

← Back to all questions