New Weave Helps Cancer Patients with Hair Loss

can be an upsetting side-effect of cancer treatment for many women, but a new weave system could help women regain their confidence after experiencing hair loss. The integrated lace hair system, designed by a Glasgow-based hair restoration company, uses real hair interwoven with the individual's own hair, to create a natural look.

Protecting your hair

Shirley Johns, manager of the Scottish aesthetics company, explains how the weave works, “The client's hair is carefully threaded through a mesh cap, then attached to thousands of strands of human hair. Importantly, the integrated hair system won't damage what little hair is left, and natural hair can grow underneath. It will last for up to two years and requires minimum maintenance.”

Upsetting side-effect

Cancer survivor Dianne Baxter, who has beaten cancer twice, found chemo hair loss to be one of the most upsetting aspects of undergoing chemotherapy. At 28, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and was told her prognosis was good, undergoing 13 weeks of chemotherapy and a month of radiation treatment. Diane's hair fell out, but at this stage she was mostly just relieved to be in remission. At 38, after being warned she had been left at increased risk of breast cancer after her radiation treatment, she was told she had breast cancer, undergoing a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and chemotherapy, experiencing hair loss for the second time.

Patchy regrowth

After the treatment, Diane waited patiently for her hair to grow back, but was shocked to discover the growth was patchy and thin, with bald spots. She says, “Losing my hair had a bigger impact [than the mastectomy] when it didn't grow back. You can't hide your hair and every time you look at yourself it's a constant reminder that you've been ill.”

A confidence boost

After struggling to find a solution to her hair loss for over a year, Diane's neighbour recommended the Glasgow salon. Diane explains the impact the new weave has had on her life, “I burst out crying when I saw myself for the first time in the mirror with hair again, then when I went to my anniversary party, I felt amazing and everyone there was sobbing too. I'm so grateful to Shirley. She's given me back my confidence.”

Although hair can grow back normally after chemotherapy, there is the possibility that the treatment could leave women with bald patches or thinning hair. Head covering solutions such as this type of lace hair system wig can help cancer survivors to disguise hair loss whilst allowing hair to grow back at its own pace.