I Had Chemo and My Hair Came Back Curly!

My mother has had bright green eyes ever since she had chemotherapy. She has had blue eyes her whole life. I'm the one that pointed out to her how green they are now. It's fascinating.

"A very expensive perm" just made me spit soda all over my dash

My mother had chemo too some 12 years ago, lost all her hair. It didn't grow back curly, but the chemo healed a 30-years old scar she had by her collar bone. Also, congratulations Hank, you are a hero!

My best friend in HS had to get low dose chemo for a benign brain tumor near the back-base of the skull, too close to anything vital to risk surgery. One of her biggest anxieties was her hair growing back different bc it was such a large part of her identity. Thankfully the only difference if any is some added waviness she enjoys, but i remember us having many tearful conversations over it bc there was so LITTLE for her to look up in terms of research to ease those fears. With how many cancer/chemo patients are out there, I'm shocked there hasn't been more research done!

Hank got that tenured professor look with his new hair

Hank lost his iconic haircut, and gained some stylish curls. Hank: 2 Cancer: 0

As a former hairdresser, I have definitely noticed change of texture in clients who had chemo. I have been told by clients that a pregnancy or menopause have changed hair texture aswell, maybe theres a correlation to make? Super informative and interesting video!

Hank actually retired, this is just the 3rd Green Brother

the chasing down of a reference line and finding it to come from some random source that no person has read for the last 30-40 years, is so real.

I’m African American and my aunt is a breast cancer survivor. After chemotherapy, her hair became a much looser texture and was nearly straight. We were so glad her hair grew back at all, we didn’t even think much of it!

I love that Hank didn’t pull away from being a science guy throughout this - even if he did it privately and away from the world. It is so important to remember who you are and what you love to do when you’re facing your own mortality! I am complex chronically ill which means mortality is staring me straight in the face but I have never stopped painting. I think our passions really keep us alive ❤

It's such a relief to see you doing so well. I was genuinely so sad hearing about the diagnosis because I grew up on this channel. I had a really rough childhood, and my siblings and I basically had zero education before getting out of it. This helped me so much in catching up, and I doubt I'd be the man I am today without it. Thank you for everything Sincerely, the 12 year old kid who had to play catch-up and made it to 24 just fine

I had breast cancer in 1999. It was a particularly nasty fast-growing sort, and unusually susceptible to chemo. I chose the most cytotoxic chemo, because it had the best odds of survival. Too many people loved me to let vanity call the shots. I lost every hair I owned for 6 months. I learned that the hairs in your nose keeps the snot from running out the front and that I needed to walk bent over so I wouldn't ruin my shoes. Originally straight flaxen blonde, when my hair grew back, it was red and curly like Little Orphan Annie! I have a theory on how/why it happened... In cosmetology school I learned that whether a hair is straight or curly has everything to do with the shape of the shaft of the hair follicle. A cylindrical shaft exudes straight hair. Wavy hair comes from a kidney shaped shaft. Flat hair shafts produce curly hair. While hair is actively in its growth cycle, no matter how close one shaves, the stubble remains in the shaft retaining its shape. As the hair continues to grow, it's business as usual. Chemo interrupts the growth entirely, allowing all of the empty follicle shafts to collapse and flatten. Later, as the new fine hairs are replaced, they curl along the flattened shafts. Over the course of several years, my own hair tamed into softer looser curls and waves as my medium textured hair proved dominant over follicle shaft structure. AGAIN, this is my best guess explanation. However, my theory is further supported by the tendency for long-term habitual hat wearers to have a strip of curlier hair where their hat band usually sits. Most likely due to the prolonged pressure from the hat band flattening out the shafts of follicles as they are in the resting phase in the "in-between" of the natural 5-7 year individual hair lifecycle. That would also explain the tiny patches of wild curly hair directly above the ears where frames sit for the bespectacled. Also, hair tends to become curlier on the side the elderly, infirm, or otherwise bed-ridden favor for sleep. With that in mind, if one is plagued by asymmetrical waviness It might just be a matter of sleeping on one's other side for a few years, to alter it.

I have Chemo Curls!! I'm a 20 year cancer survivor, and I've had it 9 times, 4 different kinds of chemo! My hair is STILL 80's style curly; I was born with blonde straight hair and now it's brown and big bushy Bob Ross curls!! I recommend a good curl definer so it doesn't get poofy, and be mindful that Curly Hair is THIRSTY! Lots of moisturizers--And I'm SO GLAD to see you looking well!

"I think it's better, but it's much more work!" Truer words have never been said

Hi Hank - nursing student and future researcher here! From what I've heard from medstudents and researchers within oncology, which is about (exactly)four people so take this with a grain of salt, the problem with a reaserch project targeting this angle is that it has a very low chance of getting accepted to get funding. This means there are two options: either fund it out of pocket or cooperate with a pharmaceutical company, making the research occur from a possibly unethical angle. Neither of these options are good for peer-reviewing or even getting the article accepted making the entire research "all for nothing". Plus - there are other research projects within cancer treatment that needs "prioritization"(not my words). It's a very interesting angle though and if people indeed decide to opt out of chemo due to the fear of the hair changing - one can try to get support and funding for a project from that angle. However, the risk of getting denied funds seems to be the main reason why those researchers don't plan on getting into this. One could possibly do a few qualitative studies about this fear in order to increase the chances though... I'll keep this in mind!

I love that Hank's approach has been "how can I use my experience of having cancer as an education opportunity?" Truly the best of us <3

OMG, my wife not long ago went through 12 months of ray and chemo cancer treatment. Prior to chemo, her hair was very thick and absolutely dead straight. We couldn’t believe how curly she was after chemo was finished and her hair grew back. Now, after a few cuts (she normally keeps it very short) it’s give back to normal straight. Never thought it was a common chemo side effect.

@00:12 I actually think he looks younger now than in that photo from before the cancer. His face is fuller and the dark curls give him a more youthful appearance.

We don't even mind if you are permanently bald, we are just happy to have you with us much longer. Not a lot of people with cancer have such luck. Glad to see you being better!