# Chemotherapy, smoking, stress, and hair loss

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2002, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912 "2002-11-21T11:00:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912/1 "2002-11-21T11:00:00Z")

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So each of these can cause your hair fall out (although I seem to recall hearing somewhere that the stress thing might just be an old wives tale). Say one gets off chemo, quits smoking, or settles down. Does the hair grow back?

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**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912/2 "2002-11-21T11:26:42Z")

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Your hair grows back after chemo. My mother and aunt are both cases in point.

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**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912/3 "2002-11-21T12:53:21Z")

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Cancer cells are quickly dividing cells, they are uncontrolled growth. Chemo is designed to (as much as possible) target quickly dividing cells, i.e. growing areas. Hair and fingernails are also growing areas, so they end up getting targeted by the drugs also. Therefore, your hair falls out. It’s a direct result of how chemotherapy works.

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**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912/4 "2002-11-21T17:12:07Z")

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BTDT. Yes your hair grows back, but it might not always come back the way it was. The color or texture or both may be different.

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**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemotherapy-smoking-stress-and-hair-loss/137912/5 "2002-11-21T17:38:15Z")

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“BTDT?”