Hair Coming Back Curly

QUESTION: I have seen the explanation for why chemo causes hair loss. Yet I have not been able to find an explanation for why my hair has come back curly when it used to be SO straight. Do they know why this happens to some people?

ANSWER: There doesn't seem to be any proven answer to your fascinating question: After a lifetime of straight hair, and then hair loss from chemo, how does hair come back in curly?

What we do know is that chemo affects rapidly growing cells more than slowly growing ones. Hair follicles in your scalp grow rapidly. They are jolted by the chemo-and when they get back to work, the shock may be enough to change their job description. In fact, women with curly hair can have their hair come back in straight. It's much more common, however, for any woman's hair to come back in with a curl. Over time, without further jolts from more treatment, the hair follicles tend to settle into their old habits.

Your new hair texture may stay over time. Although some women find their hair change a reminder that they had chemotherapy, other women enjoy their new hairstyle.

—Jennifer Griggs, M.D., MPH