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.
That doesn't surprise me at all. I was born with blue eyes, and they turned green when I hit puberty. Same thing happened with my father (the first one to get the green mutation) and my kids. They have blue eyes that turned green with puberty. And yes, it is fascinating.
Seriously. My editor and I were texting each other all “hold on, this is it? This is the source? A med school journal letter from 40 years ago?!” It was… it was something. (And is one of the reasons I won’t accept sources in academic articles that say “so and so said X in Y journal.” I go look at Y journal and verify that content,… memorably, a couple of years ago, I did that and ended up in a game of academic telephone citation, and when I eventually got back to the original source, it actually said the opposite of what was being reported. Sigh. 😤🙄)
@@khills Even some scientists have poor reading comprehension. I have seen quite a few examples where the original is not really what is reported later.
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.
It's a coping or defensive strategy for stressful/traumatic events. It's called "intellectualization" and helps distance something like a cancer diagnosis from yourself. While that's an immature defensive mechanism he's also employing altruism in educating others about his disease, so it helps Hank process negative emotions.
@@LilJbm1 intellectualization has to do with reasoning not the effect of a situation. most of the time knowing the effect of a situation is good. morals are build on the effects of actions.
My grandfather developed alopecia in his 40s, so I only ever knew him bald. Before he passed at 82, he came down with leukemia and had to go on chemo and steroids. He actually ended up growing hair! Mostly facial hair, but a little bit of whispy hair all over. Honestly, at his age and after 40 years of being hairless, he thoroughly enjoyed it. This was around the time I had my own awkward first teenage goatee and there's a picture of the two of us with our patchy facial hair somewhere out there that I've been bugging my family to find.
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!
Thank you for sharing I was specifically wondering if the process that caused his curls would work to hair that started curly. Like does it only become curlier? Does it impact curly hair less?
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!
what a G you are. your attitude toward curls (many people would be upset to lose the straight n blonde for conventional attractiveness reasons), your insane physical and mental strength…
My little brother is 14 and got Leukemia at 5, been clear and in recovery/remission since 8. His hair used to be straight, but after it grew back it's just like how you describe it! Straight up Bob Ross! If he grows it out enough he can actually brush it out into a foot tall afro istg lmao.
My little brother is 14 and got Leukemia at 5, been clear and in recovery/remission since 8. His hair used to be straight, but after it grew back it's just like how you describe it! Straight up Bob Ross! If he grows it out enough he can actually brush it out into a foot tall afro istg lmao.
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!
As a child I had straight hair. As I got closer to puberty it became wavy and by 16 I had corkscrew curls. I called it my “Scot’s fro”. Now that I’m in my 60s I have straight hair again 😊
@@elizamccroskey1708 Yes Puberty hormones turned my straight hair to Curl Type 2C or 3A and I had no warning when people gave you puberty education that this was a possibility lol... My mom had very straight hair her whole life but my dad's side has Jewish curly hair. ;)
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.
Same as my cousin's hair. Dark pin straight hair. At 17yr old diag. with Leukemia. Lost hair 3 times. First hair returned with the tightest curls ever. We loved it. lol She had mega rad/chemo/stays in hospital etc. One time her whites of eyes neon green for about 3 wks. (she had agreed to experimental cancer drugs etc) Her medical case written in med journals. She is now 70yrs old. God has Blessed Us.
I rock a mullet. I think it would be dope to have a mullet that started growing right after chemo. Curly tips on the first couple inches, and then straight. Of course, I hope I don’t ever get cancer and need chemo, but this is now my plan. Chemo curls mullet.
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!
I went to high school with a guy who had leukemia. He had chemo three different times and said his hair grew in different every time. It had gone back to straight when I knew him but previously had been curly. They really should study this as it might teach us something about how cellular regeneration works.
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!
Chemo curls, yes - but the opposite is also true. I learned this from a cancer patient. If your hair started out curly and you lose it from chemo, it will grow back straight. I am a licensed braider in the state of Florida. I was doing braids on a little girl from England (I lived in a very touristy area). Her Aunt had brought her to my shop for her braids. To this very day, she has the thickest hair I have ever worked on. I kept remarking how amazingly thick her hair was. I was really in awe of it. After making several comments, with tears in her eyes, her Aunt said that was the best thing this girl could ever hear. She had cancer and had done chemo and had lost all of her hair. Her Aunt shaved her head and kept it clean shaven until her nieces hair grew back. This head full of braids was her celebration of beating cancer and growing back such healthy hair. The little girl sat there smiling from ear to ear the entire time. This was over 20 years ago and I will always remember them. 💜
@@The_Infamous_Boogyman "You have a large area of scar tissue on your right frontal lobe that's directly responsible for your memory loss." Exact quote from my neurologist after my scooter accident. Walnut oil directly from eating raw walnuts fatty omega 3's for brain repair - walnut oil is the most bioavailable) and large print crossword puzzles and I've mostly remapped my damaged area.
So you not only managed to maintain your sanity, sense of humor, work, life, but you're actually using your experience and it's effect as additional subject of interest for a SciShow. Respect
Nothing better than a good sense of humor. Hope you see the humor but you note look like the lead kid from The Goldbergs grew up and started a TH-cam channel. Glad to see your curiosity has not softened and has actually peaked moving you to use your experience as a chance to grow in knowledge.
i was actually thinking along the same lines! it’s admirable how he is going/went through this and is still out here educating us and seems so passionate about it. i guess passions can really drive the human spirit to overcome just about anything.
I'm not sure if you'll see this, but my husband was just diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma yesterday. I'm admittedly terrified because cancer is a very scary word. But honestly seeing your struggle and what you went through, and came back on the other side helps. So I want to say thank you for putting this all out there, and not shying away from the truth of it all good, bad and humorous.
I am a 37 year survivor of Hodgkins, and treatments are so much better now! Better imaging, for one thing, better tools, and more data have allowed doctors to avoid more intensive treatments than are needed (and resulting late effects, sigh). It's still the roughest journey you will likely ever take, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Also -- what you said. Every word Hank as said on the subject has me yelling YES! to the screen. It's rare to hear about the real experiences and the emotional as well as physical fall-out, all while keeping it 100% fact-based. I'm so glad you and your husband have each other. Stay strong; I wish you the best of luck (and the curliest of hair, if he's on board with that!)
Wow, thanks for being so passive-aggressive. I've actually read about people claiming that cutting out sugar is helpful with cancer treatment @aidanhogan-thomas1797.
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
While I'm relieved that Hank is a cancer survivor, I have to admit, I think I'm even more relieved that Hank is DEFINITELY still Hank - he hasn't let this change him, he's unbeaten, he appears to have come sailing through this the same man as he was when he went into it - I admire and appreciate him!
@@smart_ledtvit does but because of the type of cancer he had he couldn’t use one. Something about the chemo needing to go everywhere. He talked about it in a TikTok
I love that Hank uses his personal experience to help highlight things, and it's super interesting that an apparently well-known phenomenon is unstudied
My guess is that most of the cancer-related research ends up focusing on the more directly life-saving aspects since there is still so much to do there.
@@JosephDavies I'd like to agree with you, but from I have experienced, as long as Cancer is a money maker there won't be studies related to what it does to our hair, or how to cure 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 ❤
Hank, my mom just got diagnosed with breast cancer and watching you throughout your journey has helped me immensely. Thank you for continuing to post and be here for us. We love you.
I hope your mother's treatments go well! My mother passed away from breast cancer about 20 years ago when she was in her early 20s and I was about 2, but the advancements in those 20 years have been amazing, to the point I've heard a dark joke in some hospitals goes "if you're gonna get cancer, make sure it's breast cancer" Hope things go well! ♥️
Medical sciences has come a long way in recent years, just hang in there and keep loving extra hard as you usually do! Theres a good chance she will totally survive this!
My mom had chemo about a year ago, lost all of her very straight hair and it's grown back quite curly. We've all been guessing it was because she had curly hair as a small child that straightened out as she matured until it was completely straight by her early 20s. I was so excited to send this video to her! She hates her curly hair, and understanding that she isn't alone is really going to help...granted, a heads up from her world-class oncologist would've been handy, too
I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before you announced your diagnosis, so learning more about cancer thru you throwing yourself into research has been sort of comforting! My hair came back curly as well, and I have a cool white streak now instead of just a few greys 😂
You might be interested in The Mallens, a series of books by Catherine Cookson that began with "The Mallen Streak". They were turned into a British TV series. Every illegitimate child of Thomas Mallen inherits his white streak and disastrous life. I haven't read the books but the series was a hilariously serious melodrama.
A friend of ours who had only a few gray hairs went through a terrible family tragedy and his hair literally turned gray over several months. We hadn't seen him for a while and it was a shock.
I have a friend who had a mastectomy. Honestly, before that, she was kind of vain. But now I believe that she feels more confident about her abilities. Knowing now that she's more than just her looks. Nothing anyone ever said about her appearance ever really helped, when she was feeling down, she just needed someone nearby who could shut the heck up. Anyway, she's in a great place now and is kicking some serious butt. I wish the same for you.
I am glad you’re okay Hank. The world would not be the same without you and I’m glad you have an analytical, scientific approach to how cancer has affected your cells and your body. We love you ❤
I’m Jamaican with naturally Afro-textured hair. However, I have noticed that every once in a while, a few hairs on head grow out much straighter than the others. Same thing sometimes happens in my beard.
Quite a while ago, I read an article about how straight of curly your hair was depended on the shape of the hair folical, more rounded for straight, curly was more oblong and then the in between was more oval. This affects the distribution of collagen to the roots of the hair. I just think of it as sliding a ribbon over a scissors blade. There could be a lot of things affecting the elasticity of your skin and thus your hairs texture; and with the root dying, there wouldn't any existing hair to help the folical keep its shape, so the chances of a change go up. I have streatchy skin. I think that just normal hair falling out and growing back in is making my hair curllier . That and hair pulling/not being gentle when brushing my hair.
I’m not a scientist but I am a hairstylist and the vast majority of my clients are over 60. The “chemo curls” are definitely prevalent as well as change in color that you mentioned. Another thing I personally have noticed is patches of hair that become permanently coily in people who have fairly straight hair following a major operation; specifically ones where they are under general anesthesia for extended periods. We need to get some studies going.
I also got chemo curls after prednisolone and biologics. I now have permanent patches of hair that are curly like you mentioned, whilst the rest of my hair is dead straight. It's a nightmare to style two different textures.
I also panicked when told I would need chemo ... I had hip length, very full hair that was part of my identity, and I was completely freaked about losing it. The oncologist barely reassured me, but her nurse and PA both said the chance of hair loss on this specific chemo was very low. And they were right - I didn't lose any hair due to chemo. However, the stress of dealing with cancer, radiation, surgery, and recovery caused three bouts of major teleogenic alopecia (stress induced hair loss). I probably lost 2/3 my hair ... fortunately it stopped before I developed any bald patches. And the hair is growing back, in the same color and texture as my older hair. And the cancer is "stable", so I'm a lot less stressed.
MOST USEFUL VIDEO I HAVE WATCHED IN YEARS!!!!! I am a husband with a wife that had NON- Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Your videos are laser focused for me and am loving every second of them. We are about 18 months out from diagnosis, 7 or 8 months out from final chemo trip. As you noted, hair loss was a big thing for my wife. Whe had quite nice very long black, (typical Asian hair) and in her mid 40's. She had a very high level of grey hair prior to chemo. After chemo, a week or two, if I remember right, it all started falling out. So we got the trimmers and buzzed it off. No need to delay the length of suffering watching clumps fall out. It grew back for her, although it does seem quite a bit slower that what was normal before. But now, her hair is the natural almost pure black as in her youth, and she is loving it. For me, the smile on her face is the bonus I was hoping for, as we suffered the mental stress together. Cannot thank you enough for the abundance of help you served up with a smile mostly, and encouragement. So, I watch your channel daily for updates. Again, Thank you.
And this is why I love biochemistry. That is crazy! Thank you for sharing your story! Wishing your family well and your wife’s continued treatment and recovery.
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!
Interesting! Do you think a project could be started without doing any experiments of its own? Instead it would view data from patients who have reported chemo curls in the past. Symptoms and effects of chemo including this must be documented somewhere! With how many people go through chemo, there has to be *at least one dataset* bigger than the 35 or more recent than that letter. If there truly isn’t, how hard would it truly be to simply ask patients undergoing treatment if they’ve experienced hair changes during regrowth? Doctors already ask patients about side effects for treatment, I mean really how hard would that be?
Funding could also come from a philanthropist with an interest in this topic. A survivor who experienced it and wants to know more, or really anyone rich and curious
I lost my hair to chemo last year and now its growing back the same texture as before (except for my body hair, which is growing back very thin and fine) but looking in the mirror is like looking at a stranger. Short hair just isnt who i am. It will take years for it to grow back to its former length, so yes, this subject still touches me deeply. Thanks for looking into it 😊
This is an unfortunate thing, but it seems it stems from damage to root follicles, it is either permanent, or a long term healing, depending on severity
My mom who is currently going through her 3rd time with cancer. Always loses her hair and her natural hair before was super curly and course, she’s of African descent. Every time that it grows back it comes back curly but not as course almost like baby soft curls. This video definitely got my attention. Also, nice curls Hank. Work’ em!
@@tommydaniels1805no magic my dude. My baby daughter Nova Rayne gets a kick out of Hanks videos and that makes me happy. She lights up when he is on the screen. It's actually rather incredible. I tell her "It's time for SCIENCE!" and she gets a big smile on her face.
As an overcomer of lower esophageal cancer (2011-12) myself, I wanted to applaud, thank and admire you for your selflessness and generosity in the way you have been sharing your cancer ordeal with the world. This had undoubtedly helped numerous people in numbers and ways you will never know, but can be assured have occurred. I wish you well, and a full recovery. Thank you, be well, and -- keep smelling the roses!
@@ferretyluv : The initial DX was not good. They "thought" stage 3-4 with metastasis. That was incorrect though. I went through it all -- a combo of chemo and radiation for 5-6 weeks; a month's break to rebuild the immune system. Then -- surgery, which removed the lower 2/3 of my esophagus. What remains connected to the stomach. I was lucky in many respects: VERY few side effects. I was somewhat bald going in, and then did NOT lose ANY hair, ANYWHERE. No pain. Very little nausea. It was quite bizarre. I did lose weight, and had to rebuild. Have some Gerd at this point, but that's about it. But -- here I am. And so is Hank, thank goodness.
Great stuff, thank you for this. My grandfather's hair thinned and turned grey then white through his 60s and 70s... in 2008, when he was 80 and fighting cancer, chemotherapy first took his hair, then it came back... thick and dark brown! Keep doing science things, it makes us all better over time
So you not only managed to maintain your sanity, sense of humor, work, life, but you're actually using your experience and it's effect as additional subject of interest for a SciShow. Respect
I really appreciate how you keep these things honest and mention that “we need more studies”, to hopefully prompt such. I’m glad you see you’re doing well. And your approach to using even your own experiences to fuel questions and answers in science - is very refreshing. Thanks, as always!
My grandmother died January 7th of this year from stage 4 breast cancer, just a day after my birthday. Thank you for helping promote cancer research and I am glad you are well.
And may she rest in peace. I'm glad she had a good run of life. A pity it had to end that way for her but at least now she's at peace and no longer in pain. Love to you and yours.
I found out I had stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma several months before you announced you also had it. It was so crazy and weirdly comforting to know of someone who also was going through treatment of this more rare cancer and hearing about your journey helped make me feel less alone. My hair is now also growing back curly and I’ve been asking other people with curly hair how I’m supposed to take care of it! I’m glad we both beat it, together….. sort of ❤
Hank, I'm so glad that you made a video about this topic. Its been a question in the back of my mind since your remission and its a subject worthy of more research! It may not be the most important question to science, but any knowledge we can get about cancer treatments and their effects is invaluable to patients and their families so they can make informed decisions.
I did notice your hair came back curly! I was curious, but too polite to say anything haha. It's wild that there isn't any research on this. Can't wait to see how you rock your new set of locks, though!
Lol me too. Had a moment of disconnect, where my brain went "wait, are we watching dollightful? I thought we were watching Hank. Oh nope, just dollightful in the comments."
Hair research is very very limited. There are not even viable human studies about does shaven hair comes back coarser and thicker. You may find information about it in the internet but they all use the same article from 1928's that was absulutely low quality. The number of people were really low,the research was merely observational with limited measurements. It said it does not get coarser or thicker but just color changes so it looks like thicker which is boggers. The one conducted afterwards was on mice and they found shaving hair both made hair get thicker also shorten its come out time but animal hair different from human hair. So there are no useful studies. Nobody cares about hair in the medicine,cosmotologist do not go into physiology part so we got stuck.
I had a patient once, who was on a mood stabiliser/anti-epileptic medication, but her hair began to fall out. We stopped it, while she had only lost, a 5cm/2" circle, and that circle grew back totally curly, in an otherwise straight head of hair. It amused her more than anything else.
I work in research as a nurse, directly administering treatments for clinical trials. I wrote my (undergrad) dissertation on women's experiences of chemotherapy-induced alopecia and really enjoyed learning about it. It's arguably the side-effect that has had the least dramatic change from chemotherapy's introduction in the 1970s, given the development in things like anti-nausea and anti-diarrhowa drugs, etc. Although there is scalp-cooling, it can't be used in all cases (e.g. haematological cancers) and for all chemotherapy drugs (if it has a long half-life or long infusion time). It's interesting to learn that we dont really know much about WHY it happens though! That's crazy!!!! Thanks for posting ☺️
I’ve never had cancer, but my hair’s color and texture changed after a big traumatic event in my mid 20’s. Love seeing the actual science behind hair growth and changes!! Fascinating stuff!
I could cry. I have literally been quite saddened with the news of your diagnosis. I'm most relived at looking at your hair. may you forever stay healthy sir
They say that if you're going to get cancer, you want to have Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It responds best to treatment and has the best prognosis of all the different kinds of cancers. Hank got lucky twice. The second time of course was being able to afford his treatments.
@@moneybillatoo many things can cause cancer too easily to worry about. You’ll probably get it, deal with it when it comes instead of worrying when you’re healthy
The wife and I were saddened when we learned about your illness. You are our favorite presenter on SciShow. We are glad you are back, curly hair and all. It rocks...
@@Laura-kl7vi I could have said, "Nancy and I", but then you would ask, "Nancy, Who is Nancy?" Anyhow, growing up in the Midwest this was a common phrase men used, and mostly use still do. Being almost seventy and all, it's tough to change my boomer ways. No disrespect intended. Peace.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I had dead straight hair all my life until chemo. I had the nasty stuff (doxorubicin, aka the red devil) and lost all my hair, including the hairs inside my nose. (My nose ran constantly until they finally grew back.) And when my hair grew in, I had spiralling Shirley Temple curls. Like you, none of my doctors could tell me why. Women's hair often changes during menopause and my cancer was estrogen positive so I was put into early menopause so some of them blamed that. Others talked about follicular changes after chemo. But no one had a definitive reason why and no one seemed terribly concerned about what it meant to me personally. And curly hair is really hard work! My chemo was 3.5 years ago and while the curls have loosened, my hair is still absolutely curly, so I think the curls are here to stay for me.
What is it with doctors and not caring about their patients concerns?! Like, this just reminds me of all the doctors who just write off people with long COVID as them “making it up”! Like, hello?! Your patient is concerned about it, why are you being so dismissive?!
I had uterine cancer with mets to my cervix, fallopian tubes and small intestine. I got lucky. All I needed was chemo, a total hysterectomy and the removal of a very short amount of intestinal tract. My hair only thinned but as it fell out, it was replaced with Shirley Temple spirals too!! My hair has always been pin-straight and jet black. Now it's curly and brown (not even dark brown, it's just straight up brown!). This, coupled with hormone treatment to help transition into menopause, is probably why my hair is suddenly all weird. I kicked cancer's ass twice and got beautiful hair and nails as a reward for surviving. And I agree. Curly hair is a freaking nightmare to deal with lol
My cancer wasnt hormone driven but I still was thrown into medical menopause with chemo. They all ignored the pain and many intense menopause symptoms i was thrown into. Ten years later, finally got a menopausal trained doctor to listen and am now taking BHRT, feeling much better. Hair was curly before chemo, lost my curls, ten years later, curls slowly returning.
As someone with curly hair, hearing Hank say it's a lot more work made me laugh. Yes, Hank, welcome to the club, happy to have you here, haha. Also hope we can learn more about this, because it sounds super interesting!
It was nice to hear as a curly haired lifer! Growing up I always kept it short because it's hard to deal with, and straight hair advice rarely works. For anyone born with curls, or newly in the club due to chemo, I'd recommend looking into the "curly girl method". I half-ass it, but there's three main things that help keep them looking good. 1) only brush it while you're in the shower. Never brush it dry unless you're going for the fro look. 2) Gently towel dry your curls by scrunching them with a towel. If you jostle them around too much you're gonna end up with a frizzy mess. 3) get yourself a bottle of curl spray and put it on after towel drying to lock in those curls. It's basically hair spray, but can be used to 'refresh' your curls too if you don't feel like washing your hair
I had leukaemia when I was 3-4 years old and my hair has been really dark brown, almost black, ever since. I was born with dark blonde hair. It’s crazy. I had curls for about a year afterwards but they’re long gone now. I wish you good health Hank!
As an aside from watching more of this, Cleveland Clinic pediatric oncology has a survivorship clinic where they are studying the long term effect on childhood treatment of Leukemia. It may be worth reaching out to them about taking a survey.
If the change was permanent, and depending on the age you went through that, I wonder how much of the change was due to chemo, and how much due to aging? When I was a kid, like under 10, I had straight hair, but as I approached and went through puberty it gradually became wavy and ultimately very curly. My mother and siblings likewise.
The psychological impacts of side effects like hair loss can't be understated, especially for women - and it's not just head hair that can be impacted. My mother was far less concerned about being bald (which could be covered up by hats & wigs) as she was about losing her eyebrows... they were already quite light & fine, and as someone who rarely wore make-up, she had no desire to draw them on. Her hair thinned out quite significantly during her 2nd round on the chemo & radiotherapy train, but when she had the most aggressive chemo the first time round she only lost (of all things) - _body hair._ We joked about her "beach-ready" legs and how she could throw away her shavers & wax, but what was most noticeable was how much faster she felt the cold... the hair on your arms, neck, etc does provide a thin barrier to heat loss (even for women) and she went from routinely wearing short-sleeved tops to always wearing long sleeves because her arms would feel cold even in a warm room. There are so many little quirks of the human body that go unnoticed until they stop working properly.
OMG! I learned that eyebrows and eyelashes definitely serve an important function. Without them sweat just pours into your eyes when you go into a hot summer environment. Ow!
The psychological impact can be devastating for men too. I lost my hair at 25 years old. I was and still am the only bald man among my friends. Being a metalhead and fantasy nerd, having long hair was part of my identity. One that I had to fight for and protect in a religious country that was not very understanding. When I lost my hair and had to switch to a buzzcut, maybe for the rest of my life, I sunk into depression. I still suffer from body dysmorphia 10 years later. It's quite difficult to accept unwanted changes on your body.
I've lost pretty much all my hair to chemo except my eyebrows, but they've thinned enough that I'm really glad I got "emergency" microblading done right before I started chemo. I might look a bit weird overall, but at least my brows are immaculate!
My aunts hair changed from straight blond to curly brown after chemo (breast cancer), my dad’s hair came back the same, but it was curly to begin with (non-hodgekin). We were always wandering what happened on my aunts head, so interesting to hear that this seams to be a common thing.
I work at a cancer center and we have a machine that is supposed to help prevent hair loss. The pt wears the inside cap part and then the machine is hooked up to it and circulates cold water through the cap, making your head cold. The idea is that the cold makes the blood flow constrict and the chemo can't get too close to the follicles, saving your hair. It's not 100% guaranteed, but the company says even if you do lose your hair, it's supposed to grow back faster. It's a really great option for those who would potentially deny treatment due to hair loss, and it does work, at least for some people. No idea of the stats or actual research, but I have seen women who use it and don't lose their hair from treatments that do cause loss of hair, like taxol carbo.
I can't directly relate to recovering from cancer, but everything you described about the anxieties you can feel has happened to me over the last few years with my recovery from a stroke ( I had it 7 years ago when I was 26 and I'm still in a wheelchair). Having you be so open and honest during your time with cancer has helped more than you may know; I have been more accepting of what happened to me and far more driven towards recovery. You're doing exactly what I have strived to do for years by being open and honest about something that most people (me included) will often feel should be hidden, not discussed. But talking about these things, having someone you know (or have watched for years) talking about unpleasant things as if they are completely normal, helps to make them feel normal; I don't feel cut off from others any more. Thank you! I hope your recovery continues well
So glad you are addressed the change and imbracing the new look. Those curls are a badge of honor! You fought cancer and beating it. This same phenomena happened to my father, but unfortunately the cancer won in the end. But oh boy he loved his curls while he could.
Chronic illness gal here, too I just had to postpone an important dr appointment that was supposed to happen tomorrow because they say not to come if you're not feeling well. I guess that means I may never have those important tests done. Lol. I'm not really laughing out loud, but that's what we do, isn't it. We smile when we feel down. We joke about stuff that's actually pretty serious. And we downplay how serious the stuff really is. It wasn't until I gained weight and started to walk with a cane that most people even knew anything was wrong. The crazy part is my doctors still don't fully know what's wrong. I suppose not having to reschedule appointments would probably help. Anyway, I hope you are able to sleep well tonight and have at least parts of tomorrow that you feel mostly well. Also, you are heard. 🫂
My hubby developed alopecia when his mother died when he was a child of 10. He then went on to have testicular cancer at 40 and he did indeed have chemo curls! Once his hair grew back. When he saw your bald picture he said Ahh, brothers in arms hey! Very interesting and I love your perky presenting style :)
I've been a hair stylist and wig mistress for over 30 yrs. I've seen this happen lots. I love to see my " getting better bubble pixies" emerge after chemo. Another random thing is anaesthetic shedding. I've had ladies that suddenly shed half their hair a few months after having surgery and 2 theatre nurses who lost about 50% of their hair and it grew back again when they changed jobs! 🤷♀️ I think you are lucky because you look great with or without hair/curls. Great to see you looking good. X
Hey Hank, Chemo Curls comrade here. I too had a similar instance. During my own chemotherapy I experienced my hair straight blonde hair falling out, and regrouping back as straight and White, than falling out again and regrouping jet black and curly. I can't imagine myself as blond lol but I'm not complaining to have good quality and fast growing here.
I'm post 3 yrs BC treatment. Currently on Tamoxifen. I can see a change in my hair. Its not as thick as it use to be. My normal hair is straight thick brown hair. Now its still straight, but not so thick to the point I can see a few thin spots that I really hate but can cover up with just styling my hair. 2 more years of taking this med and then I'm hopefully done! I hope your treatment is going well! You look great in curls. :) BTW when going through treatment it did comfort me to learn the science behind the treatment. Not everyone finds comfort in that, but I like to learn everything (including the statistics) so I can better prepare myself.
Yep, heard of it, my ex's sister had chemo and she "went curly" (to use a medical term) and almost a decade later it still hasn't fully returned to straight. They say you either get a superpower or curly hair, looks like you're not going to be getting that call from Marvel.
@@steggopotamus It's random. For some people, they'll lose their chemo curls after some time, others it fades away slowly, some have it straighten out a little bit, and other will keep em their whole life.
Your comment about estrogen may have provided an answer to why my wavy hair got straight when I was pregnant 59 years ago thanks! and never changed back!
And some people it makes their hair curlier too, life changes like that. Change your texture and your color and everything is crazy how things work that way, but your hair is just always responding to the environment.
@SciShow @HankGreen This makes me wonder if we know/have researched why some people (like myself) are born with light blond hair, but it gets darker with age. I'm sure genetics play a part, I'm just wondering and didn't see a video in my quick search. Glad to see it looks like you're doing well Hank. You rock, and you inspire me. Thank you, and I'm glad you exist.
My mother had breast cancer back in the late 90's. Originally she hard super dark brown hair that was also super straight. She did regular Chemo followed by a dose of Mega Chemo that killed off all of her T-cells. After that, her hair grew back grey and curly. It's never really gotten less curly in the nearly 30 years since then and it's stayed grey.
*looking at old photograph of self* “Look at him, so young and free and unconcerned with mortality!” That is definitely, as the kids would say, a Mood™️
I (vaguely) knew a girl with the wispiest, most white-blond hair imaginable, and after chemotherapy it came back thick and curly and brown! I never really thought much about it but it’s super interesting to see that it’s a common effect! (As for the girl, I haven’t seen her in years but last I knew she was doing well!)
My grandmother had leukemia on and off for the last 10 years of her life. She had white, straight hair beforehand (and had the cutest little bald head!). After her initial hair loss, it came back very similar to Hank. Lots of volume and curly! The weirdest part was that it came back a significantly darker salt and pepper. She was beautiful and kind and brave throughout it all. I miss her every day. I’m so grateful for the advancement in cancer treatment as my mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I treasure every extra second of life they have (or had) thanks to the amazing scientists and their research in treatment
I loved this video ❤ but wanted to mention one small thing about "the hair comes back" comment. I'm currently undergoing chemo for breast cancer, and my specific regimen is linked to permanent hair loss/alopecia. The percentage is small, but unfortunately is still there, so I wish more studies were being done on hair changes after chemo for this as well, because I almost denied chemo for this reason. They also never discuss the loss of your eyebrows and eyelashes, which for many people can also be just as important as head hair.
This is a really good point! I think those losses possibly even have greater impact, as they're harder to disguise and they can affect how people read facial expressions...? Very best wishes for your own ongoing treatment!! Do hope you have a great support network, and that the greater social openness around discussing these topics today is making the ride a tiny bit less tough...?
I also thought of the TH-camr Jacob Sharpe! After his cancer went into remission, he also stayed bald. His might be because it was specifically brain cancer, I don’t exactly recall but yes definitely would like to see more videos about this!
My mom’s hair also went from straight to curly when her hair grew back after chemo. It’s sort of back to normal now, but still a very different texture than it was before!
I realized that when your videos pop up, I am always kinda aware of whether it was recorded before or after chemo based on whatever's going on with your hair, creating this interesting BCE/CE dichotomy. You do seem slightly different, but only in a more kickass and powerful way, like the difference between Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White. You went through this deeply transformative thing and came out somehow more invincible and wise. Thank you for bringing us with you on your journey.
One of my friends has lost her hair twice from chemo and both times it grew back different - both color and texture! She’s losing her hair again, due to another round of intense chemo, and the excitement to see how it grows back this time has genuinely helped with the process.
I appreciate this video! When my mom was going through chemo it was super fascinating to see the change. She'd always had thin, stick straight, super silky brown hair (though she had started dyeing it as greys gradually came in) After chemo it grew in salt and pepper colored, SUPER thick and curly and a bit coarse in texture. I always figured it had something to do with the chemo messing with the DNA or cell structures somehow, but I'm pretty surprised that more info hasn't come out from lack of research. Hair loss and change are a huge deal for a lot of cancer patients, and I agree, I think learning more about the process, why it happens, what to expect and how to cope if it comes back differently would help a lot of people going through it. My mom took the texture change in stride, but the actual hair loss was extremely hard on her. She actually refused to shave her head until maybe 70% of it had fallen out, which I can totally understand, but as a child seeing her go through it was really hard to watch. Getting a good wig helped, but the attachment to one's hair is so real, I can't say I wouldn't also be stubborn if mine started falling out. Edit: so glad to see you are doing better! Rock those curls, they're a consolation prize 😆
It's hard losing your hair whichever way it happens. I chose to buzz cut my hair before chemo but it was still traumatic when it all fell out (and painful for a short while!). I picked up a wig and that helped me a lot. My hair grew back curly but only for a few months.
@GeeEee75 That makes sense! I hope you are doing better today. The whole experience was very traumatic for me, she ended up passing away from it when i was 13 and so seeing the gradual decline in her health and functioning, all as her hair was reduced to random wisps on her head, was absolutely awful. It would have been awful either way, but seeing your hero slowly decline as a preteen is something I would never wish on anyone. I am so glad that cancer treatment has come a long way since then and that there are options for low income people who need insurance. We didn't have any and that was part of why she waited so long to see a doctor, as she'd been having abdominal pain for a good year before she went in and got diagnosed. Sorry, you didn't ask for my life story 😆 but talking about this stuff helps
@@ajaku I'm so sorry for your loss. When you lose your mother at such a young age, the grief goes on for a lifetime. I lost my mother to cancer when I was 19, so I appreciate how it feels. I'm glad if talking about it helps you. Best wishes. xx
Hi, Hank! I have been following you since your Dx, in fact that's how I found out who you are. I had "mini chemo" (methotrexate) for my lupus over 20 years ago. It was, as you say, gentle chemo, bu half of my hair fell out. When it came back, ALL of it was curly, and it was very cost effective, as I had kept my hair permed. Here is the thing: my hair stayed curly for TWENTY YEARS!! only now is my hair becoming straight again, and I HATE it! I will adjust...
There is a permanent treatment i know you can do in japan to straighten hair but i think the opposite is true as well, stays that way until it grows out. Not sure how damaging it is though
A similar thing happened to me on methotrexate... Kind of! I had dark auburn hair and 2/3 of it fell out and it grew back jet black! It still is and it's been 8 years
I have autoimmune alopecia. My hair went through cycles of come-and-go when I was a child. Got a different shade and different texture every time. Never super curly, but definitely got a nice wavy texture once. Not much recent data since my hair seems to be on permanent hiatus now.
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.
That’s amazing
i literally just learned that green eyes are just blue eyes with a yellow overlay! so maybe it gave her that yellow overlay somehow? very interesting
great now i know if i ever get cancer it can ruin my eye color before killing me
@@QuestionableLifeChoices It's not really an overlay. It's just some yellow pigment mixed in.
That doesn't surprise me at all. I was born with blue eyes, and they turned green when I hit puberty. Same thing happened with my father (the first one to get the green mutation) and my kids. They have blue eyes that turned green with puberty. And yes, it is fascinating.
Hank got that tenured professor look with his new hair
And the chemo pot belly
You could say he looks like Tom Hanks now
I mean, isn’t he? If all of us Crash Course alumni have anything to say ❤
Might we call him... *_Dr._* Green now?
X
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.
Seriously. My editor and I were texting each other all “hold on, this is it? This is the source? A med school journal letter from 40 years ago?!” It was… it was something. (And is one of the reasons I won’t accept sources in academic articles that say “so and so said X in Y journal.” I go look at Y journal and verify that content,… memorably, a couple of years ago, I did that and ended up in a game of academic telephone citation, and when I eventually got back to the original source, it actually said the opposite of what was being reported. Sigh. 😤🙄)
@@khills Even some scientists have poor reading comprehension. I have seen quite a few examples where the original is not really what is reported later.
@@pattheplanter Yes, that’s what I meant by academic telephone citation. 😁
SciShow should make a video on the process of tracking down that source, I can't imagine that it's not a helluva story.
So real, and so Hank.
Hank actually retired, this is just the 3rd Green Brother
@Shinshocks555I was not expecting to see a CWC reference in this video
@@thegreatape170 my dude...
Dave!!!
Kyle Green, he's into vaping and motocross 😎
It’s Dave!
"A very expensive perm" just made me spit soda all over my dash
😂😂😂😂😂
Hope you're not texting and driving
Remember perms? My god were they all the rage.
I tought this was a weird thing for Hank to say until i remembered americans don't have free healthcare
I see visions of chemo salons 🙃
Tell someone 100 years ago that people would be intentionally exposing themselves to botulinum
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.
Cuticle shape has a lot to do with it, so you're right with this!
Damn, that is a good theory
Fascinating comment! Thank you for posting it. 👍
Outstanding
✨bespeckled✨
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
It's a coping or defensive strategy for stressful/traumatic events. It's called "intellectualization" and helps distance something like a cancer diagnosis from yourself. While that's an immature defensive mechanism he's also employing altruism in educating others about his disease, so it helps Hank process negative emotions.
@@LilJbm1How do you know that he is or isn’t processing his negative emotions?
@@LilJbm1 intellectualization has to do with reasoning not the effect of a situation. most of the time knowing the effect of a situation is good. morals are build on the effects of actions.
@@LilJbm1 uh... ok armchair psychologist
@@LilJbm1 thanks chatgpt
My grandfather developed alopecia in his 40s, so I only ever knew him bald. Before he passed at 82, he came down with leukemia and had to go on chemo and steroids. He actually ended up growing hair! Mostly facial hair, but a little bit of whispy hair all over. Honestly, at his age and after 40 years of being hairless, he thoroughly enjoyed it. This was around the time I had my own awkward first teenage goatee and there's a picture of the two of us with our patchy facial hair somewhere out there that I've been bugging my family to find.
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've heard (either on YT or from some article) that a cooling cap on patient's head may prevent the loss of hair while chemotherapy.
Thank you for sharing I was specifically wondering if the process that caused his curls would work to hair that started curly. Like does it only become curlier? Does it impact curly hair less?
@@hollylockhart9423me too. I have hair like he does now, so if I had chemo would it get MORE curly? Go straight? To his point, MORE STUDIES PLEASE!
Thats really interesting, good to hear your aunt survived cancer and the treatment worked!
When my Aunt had chemo and her hair grew back, her beautiful afro went straight as an arrow and hung down her back.
"I think it's better, but it's much more work!"
Truer words have never been said
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!
9 times!!??? I've just survived the first (and hopefully the last?), cannot imagine going through all this NINE times!!! Hats off to you!
what a G you are. your attitude toward curls (many people would be upset to lose the straight n blonde for conventional attractiveness reasons), your insane physical and mental strength…
My little brother is 14 and got Leukemia at 5, been clear and in recovery/remission since 8. His hair used to be straight, but after it grew back it's just like how you describe it! Straight up Bob Ross! If he grows it out enough he can actually brush it out into a foot tall afro istg lmao.
My little brother is 14 and got Leukemia at 5, been clear and in recovery/remission since 8. His hair used to be straight, but after it grew back it's just like how you describe it! Straight up Bob Ross! If he grows it out enough he can actually brush it out into a foot tall afro istg lmao.
@IzzyRoseDoesArt glad to hear your brother is doing better!
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!
For pregnancy or menopause it’s hormones! Extreme hormonal changes can change the texture of your hair
As a child I had straight hair. As I got closer to puberty it became wavy and by 16 I had corkscrew curls. I called it my “Scot’s fro”. Now that I’m in my 60s I have straight hair again 😊
Wow! Great observation!
@@elizamccroskey1708 Yes Puberty hormones turned my straight hair to Curl Type 2C or 3A and I had no warning when people gave you puberty education that this was a possibility lol... My mom had very straight hair her whole life but my dad's side has Jewish curly hair. ;)
Me and my friend went through the same . Born with straight to wavy hair and by 18 I had corkscrew hair. No idea how.
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.
Same as my cousin's hair. Dark pin straight hair. At 17yr old diag. with Leukemia. Lost hair 3 times. First hair returned with the tightest curls ever. We loved it. lol She had mega rad/chemo/stays in hospital etc. One time her whites of eyes neon green for about 3 wks. (she had agreed to experimental cancer drugs etc) Her medical case written in med journals. She is now 70yrs old. God has Blessed Us.
Oh huh, it went back straight? It's been 6 years since i had radiotherapy now and mine's just as curly
I rock a mullet. I think it would be dope to have a mullet that started growing right after chemo. Curly tips on the first couple inches, and then straight. Of course, I hope I don’t ever get cancer and need chemo, but this is now my plan. Chemo curls mullet.
You didn't look into it?
How did she feel about her curly hair?
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!
That's super interesting!!!
Chemo gave me the clearest skin of my life. It was one of the little silver linings.
@@taradeenihan ayo where can I get some of this cancer stuff I've heard so much about so I can clear up my skin
@@bryanlinsmeyer3521Oh my dude, it is NOT worth that trade.
My hair used to be thick and wavy but came back thin and fine and straight. However, the chemo cured my rosacea!
I went to high school with a guy who had leukemia. He had chemo three different times and said his hair grew in different every time. It had gone back to straight when I knew him but previously had been curly. They really should study this as it might teach us something about how cellular regeneration works.
Knew a man who had leukemia, went through chemo and eventually received a bone marrow transplant. His dark body hair made way for ginger curls.
My first round it was straight and thin. Second round thick and curls
Same thing happened to me, so obviously something is going on. Definitely should get a grant to study this.
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!
Was the benign brain tumor your best friend had Ecchordosis Physaliphora?
Chemo curls, yes - but the opposite is also true. I learned this from a cancer patient. If your hair started out curly and you lose it from chemo, it will grow back straight. I am a licensed braider in the state of Florida. I was doing braids on a little girl from England (I lived in a very touristy area). Her Aunt had brought her to my shop for her braids. To this very day, she has the thickest hair I have ever worked on. I kept remarking how amazingly thick her hair was. I was really in awe of it. After making several comments, with tears in her eyes, her Aunt said that was the best thing this girl could ever hear. She had cancer and had done chemo and had lost all of her hair. Her Aunt shaved her head and kept it clean shaven until her nieces hair grew back. This head full of braids was her celebration of beating cancer and growing back such healthy hair. The little girl sat there smiling from ear to ear the entire time. This was over 20 years ago and I will always remember them. 💜
Hopefully you will. I've had brain damage and forgot a lot so....just sayin'. U never know. But hopefully so
@@The_Infamous_Boogyman "You have a large area of scar tissue on your right frontal lobe that's directly responsible for your memory loss." Exact quote from my neurologist after my scooter accident. Walnut oil directly from eating raw walnuts fatty omega 3's for brain repair - walnut oil is the most bioavailable) and large print crossword puzzles and I've mostly remapped my damaged area.
This is exactly what happened to my grandma! It started out curly , and after her chemo was complete, it came back in straight! Wild
So you not only managed to maintain your sanity, sense of humor, work, life, but you're actually using your experience and it's effect as additional subject of interest for a SciShow.
Respect
Nothing better than a good sense of humor. Hope you see the humor but you note look like the lead kid from The Goldbergs grew up and started a TH-cam channel.
Glad to see your curiosity has not softened and has actually peaked moving you to use your experience as a chance to grow in knowledge.
That's what Hank does😎✨
i was actually thinking along the same lines! it’s admirable how he is going/went through this and is still out here educating us and seems so passionate about it. i guess passions can really drive the human spirit to overcome just about anything.
Hank green perfectly embodies the spirit of SCIENCE!!!
I'm not sure if you'll see this, but my husband was just diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma yesterday. I'm admittedly terrified because cancer is a very scary word. But honestly seeing your struggle and what you went through, and came back on the other side helps. So I want to say thank you for putting this all out there, and not shying away from the truth of it all good, bad and humorous.
I am a 37 year survivor of Hodgkins, and treatments are so much better now! Better imaging, for one thing, better tools, and more data have allowed doctors to avoid more intensive treatments than are needed (and resulting late effects, sigh). It's still the roughest journey you will likely ever take, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Also -- what you said. Every word Hank as said on the subject has me yelling YES! to the screen. It's rare to hear about the real experiences and the emotional as well as physical fall-out, all while keeping it 100% fact-based. I'm so glad you and your husband have each other. Stay strong; I wish you the best of luck (and the curliest of hair, if he's on board with that!)
I hope the best for your husband. Hank really is inspirational for people going through such a scary experience. Stay strong!
Best of luck to you both. Nutrition is key! No one told me @diet but I learned on my own. Cut out sugar & high glucose foods. It will help so much.
@chanchan5349 maybe don't give people unsolicited advice when they're talking about cancer.
Wow, thanks for being so passive-aggressive. I've actually read about people claiming that cutting out sugar is helpful with cancer treatment @aidanhogan-thomas1797.
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
Really cool that you managed to find your way out of that!
"maybe, a very expensive perm!" - Hank, I love your attitude, man. I'm glad you're still here.
A very American statement
While I'm relieved that Hank is a cancer survivor, I have to admit, I think I'm even more relieved that Hank is DEFINITELY still Hank - he hasn't let this change him, he's unbeaten, he appears to have come sailing through this the same man as he was when he went into it - I admire and appreciate him!
He continues to spread his unique brand of sunshine 🌞
Right! What a living legend.
He knew he was too powerful for cancer
You can't know that, you know that the character Hank who talks about science on TH-cam seems the same as he was.
I too am relieved he didn't come back as a crab or a legume 😔🙏
Hank lost his iconic haircut, and gained some stylish curls.
Hank: 2
Cancer: 0
I like how this implies Hank's old haircut has bad (it sorta was)
I've heard (either on YT or from some article) that a cooling cap on patient's head may prevent the loss of hair while chemotherapy.
@@smart_ledtvit does but because of the type of cancer he had he couldn’t use one. Something about the chemo needing to go everywhere. He talked about it in a TikTok
He looks even wiser
He has the hair poof now
I have much respect and admiration for you. You are part of my childhood and seeing you now still educating me even through your illness is inspiring.
I love that Hank uses his personal experience to help highlight things, and it's super interesting that an apparently well-known phenomenon is unstudied
Definitely one of the best people to get cancer, as messed up as that sounds.
Thanks Hank, glad you're doing well.
@@Dan-Simmsboth comments are messed up
@@Dan-Simmslol careful, this is the Internet and people will choose to be upset.
My guess is that most of the cancer-related research ends up focusing on the more directly life-saving aspects since there is still so much to do there.
@@JosephDavies I'd like to agree with you, but from I have experienced, as long as Cancer is a money maker there won't be studies related to what it does to our hair, or how to cure 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 ❤
Hank, my mom just got diagnosed with breast cancer and watching you throughout your journey has helped me immensely. Thank you for continuing to post and be here for us. We love you.
I hope your mother's treatments go well! My mother passed away from breast cancer about 20 years ago when she was in her early 20s and I was about 2, but the advancements in those 20 years have been amazing, to the point I've heard a dark joke in some hospitals goes "if you're gonna get cancer, make sure it's breast cancer"
Hope things go well! ♥️
Good luck to your family!
@@haydenmaines5905 Lol thats a good joke, it is good she raised someone with humor haha!
Medical sciences has come a long way in recent years, just hang in there and keep loving extra hard as you usually do! Theres a good chance she will totally survive this!
@@haydenmaines5905did you mean breast or great in your comment? i’m just curious 😅
My mom had chemo about a year ago, lost all of her very straight hair and it's grown back quite curly. We've all been guessing it was because she had curly hair as a small child that straightened out as she matured until it was completely straight by her early 20s. I was so excited to send this video to her! She hates her curly hair, and understanding that she isn't alone is really going to help...granted, a heads up from her world-class oncologist would've been handy, too
I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before you announced your diagnosis, so learning more about cancer thru you throwing yourself into research has been sort of comforting! My hair came back curly as well, and I have a cool white streak now instead of just a few greys 😂
You might be interested in The Mallens, a series of books by Catherine Cookson that began with "The Mallen Streak". They were turned into a British TV series. Every illegitimate child of Thomas Mallen inherits his white streak and disastrous life. I haven't read the books but the series was a hilariously serious melodrama.
A friend of ours who had only a few gray hairs went through a terrible family tragedy and his hair literally turned gray over several months. We hadn't seen him for a while and it was a shock.
I have a friend who had a mastectomy. Honestly, before that, she was kind of vain. But now I believe that she feels more confident about her abilities. Knowing now that she's more than just her looks. Nothing anyone ever said about her appearance ever really helped, when she was feeling down, she just needed someone nearby who could shut the heck up. Anyway, she's in a great place now and is kicking some serious butt.
I wish the same for you.
Your hair sounds really cool
I love how Hank always seems unconditionally positive. Every day he is gracious and therefore everyday he is at peace and happy. A true role model
Nah I think he just embraced that he's always angry xD Kinda like hulk
Repressed anger
I don't think he's always angry but i agree with your point; i think he's always anxious lol, like myself
What does anger have to do with this?
You're being weird, he's not a saint. He's not like this all the time just because he's presenting a scripted video like this.
I am glad you’re okay Hank. The world would not be the same without you and I’m glad you have an analytical, scientific approach to how cancer has affected your cells and your body. We love you ❤
Roast Beef Snatch - LMSO😂😂😂
I’m Jamaican with naturally Afro-textured hair. However, I have noticed that every once in a while, a few hairs on head grow out much straighter than the others. Same thing sometimes happens in my beard.
White hairs from aging also grow in a different texture from the rest. More wirey and straighter if you have curly hair
Here, here! I second this! 🙌🏻
I've heard (either on YT or from some article) that a cooling cap on patient's head may prevent the loss of hair while chemotherapy.
Quite a while ago, I read an article about how straight of curly your hair was depended on the shape of the hair folical, more rounded for straight, curly was more oblong and then the in between was more oval. This affects the distribution of collagen to the roots of the hair. I just think of it as sliding a ribbon over a scissors blade.
There could be a lot of things affecting the elasticity of your skin and thus your hairs texture; and with the root dying, there wouldn't any existing hair to help the folical keep its shape, so the chances of a change go up.
I have streatchy skin. I think that just normal hair falling out and growing back in is making my hair curllier . That and hair pulling/not being gentle when brushing my hair.
I’m not a scientist but I am a hairstylist and the vast majority of my clients are over 60. The “chemo curls” are definitely prevalent as well as change in color that you mentioned. Another thing I personally have noticed is patches of hair that become permanently coily in people who have fairly straight hair following a major operation; specifically ones where they are under general anesthesia for extended periods. We need to get some studies going.
Also post menopause
I also got chemo curls after prednisolone and biologics. I now have permanent patches of hair that are curly like you mentioned, whilst the rest of my hair is dead straight. It's a nightmare to style two different textures.
I also panicked when told I would need chemo ... I had hip length, very full hair that was part of my identity, and I was completely freaked about losing it. The oncologist barely reassured me, but her nurse and PA both said the chance of hair loss on this specific chemo was very low. And they were right - I didn't lose any hair due to chemo.
However, the stress of dealing with cancer, radiation, surgery, and recovery caused three bouts of major teleogenic alopecia (stress induced hair loss). I probably lost 2/3 my hair ... fortunately it stopped before I developed any bald patches. And the hair is growing back, in the same color and texture as my older hair.
And the cancer is "stable", so I'm a lot less stressed.
I've heard (either on YT or from some article) that a cooling cap on patient's head may prevent the loss of hair while chemotherapy.
MOST USEFUL VIDEO I HAVE WATCHED IN YEARS!!!!! I am a husband with a wife that had NON- Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Your videos are laser focused for me and am loving every second of them. We are about 18 months out from diagnosis, 7 or 8 months out from final chemo trip. As you noted, hair loss was a big thing for my wife. Whe had quite nice very long black, (typical Asian hair) and in her mid 40's. She had a very high level of grey hair prior to chemo. After chemo, a week or two, if I remember right, it all started falling out. So we got the trimmers and buzzed it off. No need to delay the length of suffering watching clumps fall out.
It grew back for her, although it does seem quite a bit slower that what was normal before. But now, her hair is the natural almost pure black as in her youth, and she is loving it. For me, the smile on her face is the bonus I was hoping for, as we suffered the mental stress together.
Cannot thank you enough for the abundance of help you served up with a smile mostly, and encouragement. So, I watch your channel daily for updates.
Again, Thank you.
And this is why I love biochemistry. That is crazy! Thank you for sharing your story! Wishing your family well and your wife’s continued treatment and recovery.
Humans are so weird in the best way. Keep being awesome and pass on some positivity to your family! Good luck ore there!!
@maibrown2755 - Well said. It is a beautiful story, especially when the writer mentioned his wife's smile.
i’m so glad she’s feel better in herself after her chemo, she deserves it! you sound like a lovely couple x
So heart warming, bless you and your wife!
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!
Interesting! Do you think a project could be started without doing any experiments of its own? Instead it would view data from patients who have reported chemo curls in the past. Symptoms and effects of chemo including this must be documented somewhere! With how many people go through chemo, there has to be *at least one dataset* bigger than the 35 or more recent than that letter. If there truly isn’t, how hard would it truly be to simply ask patients undergoing treatment if they’ve experienced hair changes during regrowth? Doctors already ask patients about side effects for treatment, I mean really how hard would that be?
Funding could also come from a philanthropist with an interest in this topic. A survivor who experienced it and wants to know more, or really anyone rich and curious
I am really interested in this topic too. But still studying, so no funds.
I lost my hair to chemo last year and now its growing back the same texture as before (except for my body hair, which is growing back very thin and fine) but looking in the mirror is like looking at a stranger. Short hair just isnt who i am. It will take years for it to grow back to its former length, so yes, this subject still touches me deeply. Thanks for looking into it 😊
Short is chic, but also, wigs are a thing!
Glad you still around, your hair will grow stronger!
This is an unfortunate thing, but it seems it stems from damage to root follicles, it is either permanent, or a long term healing, depending on severity
Your hair will grow back EVEN LONGER AND MORE LUCIOUS THAN BEFORE!
@cayleighisclueless150 Happy you’re still around.
My mom who is currently going through her 3rd time with cancer. Always loses her hair and her natural hair before was super curly and course, she’s of African descent. Every time that it grows back it comes back curly but not as course almost like baby soft curls. This video definitely got my attention. Also, nice curls Hank. Work’ em!
Wishing a speedy recovery for your mom and comfort for your whole family!!
Does it come back with that new hair smell
For people of African descent, chemotherapy loosens the hair texture and it's not clear why.
@@kmj2000 My coily hair is a lot looser now, baby soft too!
We love you, Hank!
Glad to see you are doing better ❤
He looks like a lesbian now
anti fable ach, anti fable ach
What is this sorcery?
@@tommydaniels1805magic? No.
@@tommydaniels1805no magic my dude. My baby daughter Nova Rayne gets a kick out of Hanks videos and that makes me happy. She lights up when he is on the screen. It's actually rather incredible. I tell her "It's time for SCIENCE!" and she gets a big smile on her face.
@@tommydaniels1805 Antifa bleach
So glad you are back and healthy. I love your bubbly personality. I used your videos for my Psychology class. You made learning fun. God bless you.❤
As an overcomer of lower esophageal cancer (2011-12) myself, I wanted to applaud, thank and admire you for your selflessness and generosity in the way you have been sharing your cancer ordeal with the world. This had undoubtedly helped numerous people in numbers and ways you will never know, but can be assured have occurred. I wish you well, and a full recovery. Thank you, be well, and -- keep smelling the roses!
Woah, you actually survived esophageal cancer?! That’s rare! You’re so lucky!
@@ferretyluv : The initial DX was not good. They "thought" stage 3-4 with metastasis. That was incorrect though. I went through it all -- a combo of chemo and radiation for 5-6 weeks; a month's break to rebuild the immune system. Then -- surgery, which removed the lower 2/3 of my esophagus. What remains connected to the stomach. I was lucky in many respects: VERY few side effects. I was somewhat bald going in, and then did NOT lose ANY hair, ANYWHERE. No pain. Very little nausea. It was quite bizarre. I did lose weight, and had to rebuild. Have some Gerd at this point, but that's about it. But -- here I am. And so is Hank, thank goodness.
That diagnosis must have been tough to swallow
Great stuff, thank you for this. My grandfather's hair thinned and turned grey then white through his 60s and 70s... in 2008, when he was 80 and fighting cancer, chemotherapy first took his hair, then it came back... thick and dark brown! Keep doing science things, it makes us all better over time
So you not only managed to maintain your sanity, sense of humor, work, life, but you're actually using your experience and it's effect as additional subject of interest for a SciShow.
Respect
I really appreciate how you keep these things honest and mention that “we need more studies”, to hopefully prompt such.
I’m glad you see you’re doing well.
And your approach to using even your own experiences to fuel questions and answers in science - is very refreshing. Thanks, as always!
My grandmother died January 7th of this year from stage 4 breast cancer, just a day after my birthday. Thank you for helping promote cancer research and I am glad you are well.
Sending you and your family love ❤
🤗
💜
but isn't breast cancer treatable these days?
And may she rest in peace. I'm glad she had a good run of life. A pity it had to end that way for her but at least now she's at peace and no longer in pain. Love to you and yours.
I do gotta say, you looking good with the chemo curls
I’m in love with the curls!
EXACTLY. I commented this the first video he released with his curls, Hank looks good with it!
To me the straight hair looked a lot better
I feel like chemo curls really suit most people in recovery. I loved mine so much, and I loved how baby soft my hair was.
He looks to much like the subway spokesperson, it's shocking
I found out I had stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma several months before you announced you also had it. It was so crazy and weirdly comforting to know of someone who also was going through treatment of this more rare cancer and hearing about your journey helped make me feel less alone. My hair is now also growing back curly and I’ve been asking other people with curly hair how I’m supposed to take care of it!
I’m glad we both beat it, together….. sort of ❤
Blessings upon blessings to you on your journey to amazing health! ❤❤
Hank, I'm so glad that you made a video about this topic. Its been a question in the back of my mind since your remission and its a subject worthy of more research! It may not be the most important question to science, but any knowledge we can get about cancer treatments and their effects is invaluable to patients and their families so they can make informed decisions.
I did notice your hair came back curly! I was curious, but too polite to say anything haha. It's wild that there isn't any research on this. Can't wait to see how you rock your new set of locks, though!
Was not expecting to see you here :0
Same.
How fun to see you comment here!
Lol me too. Had a moment of disconnect, where my brain went "wait, are we watching dollightful? I thought we were watching Hank. Oh nope, just dollightful in the comments."
Hair research is very very limited. There are not even viable human studies about does shaven hair comes back coarser and thicker. You may find information about it in the internet but they all use the same article from 1928's that was absulutely low quality. The number of people were really low,the research was merely observational with limited measurements. It said it does not get coarser or thicker but just color changes so it looks like thicker which is boggers. The one conducted afterwards was on mice and they found shaving hair both made hair get thicker also shorten its come out time but animal hair different from human hair. So there are no useful studies. Nobody cares about hair in the medicine,cosmotologist do not go into physiology part so we got stuck.
I had a patient once, who was on a mood stabiliser/anti-epileptic medication, but her hair began to fall out. We stopped it, while she had only lost, a 5cm/2" circle, and that circle grew back totally curly, in an otherwise straight head of hair. It amused her more than anything else.
I work in research as a nurse, directly administering treatments for clinical trials. I wrote my (undergrad) dissertation on women's experiences of chemotherapy-induced alopecia and really enjoyed learning about it. It's arguably the side-effect that has had the least dramatic change from chemotherapy's introduction in the 1970s, given the development in things like anti-nausea and anti-diarrhowa drugs, etc. Although there is scalp-cooling, it can't be used in all cases (e.g. haematological cancers) and for all chemotherapy drugs (if it has a long half-life or long infusion time).
It's interesting to learn that we dont really know much about WHY it happens though! That's crazy!!!!
Thanks for posting ☺️
I’ve never had cancer, but my hair’s color and texture changed after a big traumatic event in my mid 20’s. Love seeing the actual science behind hair growth and changes!! Fascinating stuff!
The Green Brothers are such a gift.
I could cry. I have literally been quite saddened with the news of your diagnosis. I'm most relived at looking at your hair. may you forever stay healthy sir
They say that if you're going to get cancer, you want to have Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It responds best to treatment and has the best prognosis of all the different kinds of cancers. Hank got lucky twice. The second time of course was being able to afford his treatments.
@@moneybillatoo many things can cause cancer too easily to worry about. You’ll probably get it, deal with it when it comes instead of worrying when you’re healthy
@@moneybillaeach year the chance of reoccurrence decreases with Hodgkins.
@@Poenas1 In 6 People get cancer during their life time, but the chance to get it again grows drastically if one has already had it.
The wife and I were saddened when we learned about your illness. You are our favorite presenter on SciShow. We are glad you are back, curly hair and all. It rocks...
Why do men say "the" wife? It sounds odd to women's ears (I think men do it among themselves more.)
@@Laura-kl7vi I could have said, "Nancy and I", but then you would ask, "Nancy, Who is Nancy?" Anyhow, growing up in the Midwest this was a common phrase men used, and mostly use still do. Being almost seventy and all, it's tough to change my boomer ways. No disrespect intended. Peace.
This guy is the reason I watch TH-cam. Thank you brother. Your a world treasure
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I had dead straight hair all my life until chemo. I had the nasty stuff (doxorubicin, aka the red devil) and lost all my hair, including the hairs inside my nose. (My nose ran constantly until they finally grew back.) And when my hair grew in, I had spiralling Shirley Temple curls. Like you, none of my doctors could tell me why. Women's hair often changes during menopause and my cancer was estrogen positive so I was put into early menopause so some of them blamed that. Others talked about follicular changes after chemo. But no one had a definitive reason why and no one seemed terribly concerned about what it meant to me personally. And curly hair is really hard work! My chemo was 3.5 years ago and while the curls have loosened, my hair is still absolutely curly, so I think the curls are here to stay for me.
What is it with doctors and not caring about their patients concerns?! Like, this just reminds me of all the doctors who just write off people with long COVID as them “making it up”! Like, hello?! Your patient is concerned about it, why are you being so dismissive?!
I had the same cocktail but hair stayed straight. Interesting differences!
I had uterine cancer with mets to my cervix, fallopian tubes and small intestine. I got lucky. All I needed was chemo, a total hysterectomy and the removal of a very short amount of intestinal tract.
My hair only thinned but as it fell out, it was replaced with Shirley Temple spirals too!!
My hair has always been pin-straight and jet black. Now it's curly and brown (not even dark brown, it's just straight up brown!).
This, coupled with hormone treatment to help transition into menopause, is probably why my hair is suddenly all weird.
I kicked cancer's ass twice and got beautiful hair and nails as a reward for surviving.
And I agree. Curly hair is a freaking nightmare to deal with lol
Cheers from a fellow survivor of the red devil🎉 You're a boss!
My cancer wasnt hormone driven but I still was thrown into medical menopause with chemo. They all ignored the pain and many intense menopause symptoms i was thrown into. Ten years later, finally got a menopausal trained doctor to listen and am now taking BHRT, feeling much better. Hair was curly before chemo, lost my curls, ten years later, curls slowly returning.
In Portugal, the reverse happened. A singer had a great curly hair. After chemo, it came back straight. Marco Paulo is his name.
Maybe he just used it as excuse to start ironing his hair 😄
Was he also an explorer who liked to travel through silk route
@@inayat1553he is not the alchemist you are looking for
Thanks for that story. I was going to ask if the reverse could happen and now I don't have to.
@@inayat1553 good old Marco 😂
As someone with curly hair, hearing Hank say it's a lot more work made me laugh. Yes, Hank, welcome to the club, happy to have you here, haha. Also hope we can learn more about this, because it sounds super interesting!
It was nice to hear as a curly haired lifer! Growing up I always kept it short because it's hard to deal with, and straight hair advice rarely works. For anyone born with curls, or newly in the club due to chemo, I'd recommend looking into the "curly girl method". I half-ass it, but there's three main things that help keep them looking good. 1) only brush it while you're in the shower. Never brush it dry unless you're going for the fro look. 2) Gently towel dry your curls by scrunching them with a towel. If you jostle them around too much you're gonna end up with a frizzy mess. 3) get yourself a bottle of curl spray and put it on after towel drying to lock in those curls. It's basically hair spray, but can be used to 'refresh' your curls too if you don't feel like washing your hair
I"m pushing 60 and have had curls all my life. That line made me laugh too. Hank, just don't fight it. You will not win! 🤣
That made me laugh too! 😂The second I saw he had curly hair I was like, oh no, poor guy! Curly hair is so much work! 😂
I had leukaemia when I was 3-4 years old and my hair has been really dark brown, almost black, ever since. I was born with dark blonde hair. It’s crazy. I had curls for about a year afterwards but they’re long gone now. I wish you good health Hank!
Before chemo as a kid I had straight hair. It came back wavy!
As an aside from watching more of this, Cleveland Clinic pediatric oncology has a survivorship clinic where they are studying the long term effect on childhood treatment of Leukemia. It may be worth reaching out to them about taking a survey.
I am hoping you are cancer free now. You are a cancer warrior! Is your hair still wavy? 🙏🙏🙏🌹❤️🤗
@@lindaseel9986 thank you! I'm a part of the survivorship clinic. I've been cancer free for going on 12 years. I was 12 when I was diagnosed
If the change was permanent, and depending on the age you went through that, I wonder how much of the change was due to chemo, and how much due to aging? When I was a kid, like under 10, I had straight hair, but as I approached and went through puberty it gradually became wavy and ultimately very curly. My mother and siblings likewise.
@@thomicrisler9855 It's back to straight now but it took a few years
The psychological impacts of side effects like hair loss can't be understated, especially for women - and it's not just head hair that can be impacted. My mother was far less concerned about being bald (which could be covered up by hats & wigs) as she was about losing her eyebrows... they were already quite light & fine, and as someone who rarely wore make-up, she had no desire to draw them on.
Her hair thinned out quite significantly during her 2nd round on the chemo & radiotherapy train, but when she had the most aggressive chemo the first time round she only lost (of all things) - _body hair._
We joked about her "beach-ready" legs and how she could throw away her shavers & wax, but what was most noticeable was how much faster she felt the cold... the hair on your arms, neck, etc does provide a thin barrier to heat loss (even for women) and she went from routinely wearing short-sleeved tops to always wearing long sleeves because her arms would feel cold even in a warm room.
There are so many little quirks of the human body that go unnoticed until they stop working properly.
OMG! I learned that eyebrows and eyelashes definitely serve an important function. Without them sweat just pours into your eyes when you go into a hot summer environment. Ow!
The psychological impact can be devastating for men too. I lost my hair at 25 years old. I was and still am the only bald man among my friends. Being a metalhead and fantasy nerd, having long hair was part of my identity. One that I had to fight for and protect in a religious country that was not very understanding. When I lost my hair and had to switch to a buzzcut, maybe for the rest of my life, I sunk into depression.
I still suffer from body dysmorphia 10 years later. It's quite difficult to accept unwanted changes on your body.
@@WallySketchThat's tough man, I hope you are doing better now
I've lost pretty much all my hair to chemo except my eyebrows, but they've thinned enough that I'm really glad I got "emergency" microblading done right before I started chemo. I might look a bit weird overall, but at least my brows are immaculate!
Hank looks strong and healthy
He chubby boy now
Out of context this sounds so creepy
@alexbombbird353 What you don't appraise people like horses? 😂
@@YankstaNZProbably just because of Dexamethasone. After chemo I looked the same, but was back to my usual physique after ~ 1/2 year.
My aunts hair changed from straight blond to curly brown after chemo (breast cancer), my dad’s hair came back the same, but it was curly to begin with (non-hodgekin). We were always wandering what happened on my aunts head, so interesting to hear that this seams to be a common thing.
I work at a cancer center and we have a machine that is supposed to help prevent hair loss. The pt wears the inside cap part and then the machine is hooked up to it and circulates cold water through the cap, making your head cold. The idea is that the cold makes the blood flow constrict and the chemo can't get too close to the follicles, saving your hair. It's not 100% guaranteed, but the company says even if you do lose your hair, it's supposed to grow back faster. It's a really great option for those who would potentially deny treatment due to hair loss, and it does work, at least for some people. No idea of the stats or actual research, but I have seen women who use it and don't lose their hair from treatments that do cause loss of hair, like taxol carbo.
People... would refuse treatment because of hair loss?
@@Religion0I'd say it could be another factor
Kinda reminds me of getting a brain-freeze, but for your hair.
I'd love that contraption for my lifelong daily headaches. Sounds wonderful.
They made a fortune selling a machine which is not proven and likely doesn’t work.
I can't directly relate to recovering from cancer, but everything you described about the anxieties you can feel has happened to me over the last few years with my recovery from a stroke ( I had it 7 years ago when I was 26 and I'm still in a wheelchair). Having you be so open and honest during your time with cancer has helped more than you may know; I have been more accepting of what happened to me and far more driven towards recovery.
You're doing exactly what I have strived to do for years by being open and honest about something that most people (me included) will often feel should be hidden, not discussed. But talking about these things, having someone you know (or have watched for years) talking about unpleasant things as if they are completely normal, helps to make them feel normal; I don't feel cut off from others any more.
Thank you! I hope your recovery continues well
So glad you are addressed the change and imbracing the new look. Those curls are a badge of honor! You fought cancer and beating it. This same phenomena happened to my father, but unfortunately the cancer won in the end. But oh boy he loved his curls while he could.
The same happened to me, just bare in mind the change (3 years on) has started to diminish but my hair is still definitely CURLIER than before
the curly hair looks so good!! Also, thank you for talking about the experience of being a patient! As a chronic-illness gal, I feel so seen!
Chronic illness gal here, too I just had to postpone an important dr appointment that was supposed to happen tomorrow because they say not to come if you're not feeling well. I guess that means I may never have those important tests done. Lol.
I'm not really laughing out loud, but that's what we do, isn't it. We smile when we feel down. We joke about stuff that's actually pretty serious. And we downplay how serious the stuff really is.
It wasn't until I gained weight and started to walk with a cane that most people even knew anything was wrong.
The crazy part is my doctors still don't fully know what's wrong. I suppose not having to reschedule appointments would probably help.
Anyway, I hope you are able to sleep well tonight and have at least parts of tomorrow that you feel mostly well. Also, you are heard. 🫂
My hubby developed alopecia when his mother died when he was a child of 10. He then went on to have testicular cancer at 40 and he did indeed have chemo curls! Once his hair grew back. When he saw your bald picture he said Ahh, brothers in arms hey! Very interesting and I love your perky presenting style :)
I've been a hair stylist and wig mistress for over 30 yrs. I've seen this happen lots. I love to see my " getting better bubble pixies" emerge after chemo.
Another random thing is anaesthetic shedding. I've had ladies that suddenly shed half their hair a few months after having surgery and 2 theatre nurses who lost about 50% of their hair and it grew back again when they changed jobs! 🤷♀️
I think you are lucky because you look great with or without hair/curls. Great to see you looking good. X
Hey Hank, Chemo Curls comrade here.
I too had a similar instance. During my own chemotherapy I experienced my hair straight blonde hair falling out, and regrouping back as straight and White, than falling out again and regrouping jet black and curly.
I can't imagine myself as blond lol but I'm not complaining to have good quality and fast growing here.
It's a PBS first! Let's invest in this!
I'm post 3 yrs BC treatment. Currently on Tamoxifen. I can see a change in my hair. Its not as thick as it use to be. My normal hair is straight thick brown hair. Now its still straight, but not so thick to the point I can see a few thin spots that I really hate but can cover up with just styling my hair. 2 more years of taking this med and then I'm hopefully done! I hope your treatment is going well! You look great in curls. :) BTW when going through treatment it did comfort me to learn the science behind the treatment. Not everyone finds comfort in that, but I like to learn everything (including the statistics) so I can better prepare myself.
I hope you will be completely cancer free. You are a cancer warrior! God bless you! 🤗❤️🌹🙏
@@lindaseel9986 Thanks Linda
My relative just started tamoxifen. I’m going to watch for changes. A study of 1.
Yep, heard of it, my ex's sister had chemo and she "went curly" (to use a medical term) and almost a decade later it still hasn't fully returned to straight. They say you either get a superpower or curly hair, looks like you're not going to be getting that call from Marvel.
Wait it goes back? Kinda?
@@steggopotamus It's random. For some people, they'll lose their chemo curls after some time, others it fades away slowly, some have it straighten out a little bit, and other will keep em their whole life.
curly hair is a superpower
I had never even heard of chemo curls before. The human body is truly fascinating. Thank you for sharing!
Your comment about estrogen may have provided an answer to why my wavy hair got straight when I was pregnant 59 years ago thanks! and never changed back!
Pregnancy changing hair is actually relatively common, my mom went from blonde to brunette because of me. Bodies are so weird
Hormonal birth control does it too! My hair became wavy instead of curly when I was on the pill. Now it's back to curly.
And some people it makes their hair curlier too, life changes like that. Change your texture and your color and everything is crazy how things work that way, but your hair is just always responding to the environment.
"Because its just cool to know things." My man always has some awesome quotable moments!
P.S. i think you rock those curls by the way!
So happy for your recovery. You are such an enthusiastic presenter and a genuine person.
@SciShow @HankGreen
This makes me wonder if we know/have researched why some people (like myself) are born with light blond hair, but it gets darker with age. I'm sure genetics play a part, I'm just wondering and didn't see a video in my quick search.
Glad to see it looks like you're doing well Hank. You rock, and you inspire me. Thank you, and I'm glad you exist.
My mother had breast cancer back in the late 90's. Originally she hard super dark brown hair that was also super straight. She did regular Chemo followed by a dose of Mega Chemo that killed off all of her T-cells. After that, her hair grew back grey and curly. It's never really gotten less curly in the nearly 30 years since then and it's stayed grey.
That's a really good point towards the end about this being important because of people rejecting chemo over hair concerns.
*looking at old photograph of self* “Look at him, so young and free and unconcerned with mortality!” That is definitely, as the kids would say, a Mood™️
I (vaguely) knew a girl with the wispiest, most white-blond hair imaginable, and after chemotherapy it came back thick and curly and brown! I never really thought much about it but it’s super interesting to see that it’s a common effect!
(As for the girl, I haven’t seen her in years but last I knew she was doing well!)
Very cool topic. Very glad you are still with us! Looking good.
My grandmother had leukemia on and off for the last 10 years of her life. She had white, straight hair beforehand (and had the cutest little bald head!). After her initial hair loss, it came back very similar to Hank. Lots of volume and curly! The weirdest part was that it came back a significantly darker salt and pepper. She was beautiful and kind and brave throughout it all. I miss her every day. I’m so grateful for the advancement in cancer treatment as my mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I treasure every extra second of life they have (or had) thanks to the amazing scientists and their research in treatment
I loved this video ❤ but wanted to mention one small thing about "the hair comes back" comment. I'm currently undergoing chemo for breast cancer, and my specific regimen is linked to permanent hair loss/alopecia. The percentage is small, but unfortunately is still there, so I wish more studies were being done on hair changes after chemo for this as well, because I almost denied chemo for this reason. They also never discuss the loss of your eyebrows and eyelashes, which for many people can also be just as important as head hair.
This is a really good point! I think those losses possibly even have greater impact, as they're harder to disguise and they can affect how people read facial expressions...?
Very best wishes for your own ongoing treatment!! Do hope you have a great support network, and that the greater social openness around discussing these topics today is making the ride a tiny bit less tough...?
I also thought of the TH-camr Jacob Sharpe! After his cancer went into remission, he also stayed bald. His might be because it was specifically brain cancer, I don’t exactly recall but yes definitely would like to see more videos about this!
My mom’s hair also went from straight to curly when her hair grew back after chemo. It’s sort of back to normal now, but still a very different texture than it was before!
Yep, a friend of mine had chemo and her hair came back curly. So I've been waiting to see Hank's chemo curls!
You look so damn healthy now. Very happy for you
Hank, im just glad you're still here to educate us, and I think your new curls look groovy on you.😊
I realized that when your videos pop up, I am always kinda aware of whether it was recorded before or after chemo based on whatever's going on with your hair, creating this interesting BCE/CE dichotomy. You do seem slightly different, but only in a more kickass and powerful way, like the difference between Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White. You went through this deeply transformative thing and came out somehow more invincible and wise. Thank you for bringing us with you on your journey.
One of my friends has lost her hair twice from chemo and both times it grew back different - both color and texture! She’s losing her hair again, due to another round of intense chemo, and the excitement to see how it grows back this time has genuinely helped with the process.
I appreciate this video! When my mom was going through chemo it was super fascinating to see the change. She'd always had thin, stick straight, super silky brown hair (though she had started dyeing it as greys gradually came in) After chemo it grew in salt and pepper colored, SUPER thick and curly and a bit coarse in texture. I always figured it had something to do with the chemo messing with the DNA or cell structures somehow, but I'm pretty surprised that more info hasn't come out from lack of research. Hair loss and change are a huge deal for a lot of cancer patients, and I agree, I think learning more about the process, why it happens, what to expect and how to cope if it comes back differently would help a lot of people going through it.
My mom took the texture change in stride, but the actual hair loss was extremely hard on her. She actually refused to shave her head until maybe 70% of it had fallen out, which I can totally understand, but as a child seeing her go through it was really hard to watch. Getting a good wig helped, but the attachment to one's hair is so real, I can't say I wouldn't also be stubborn if mine started falling out.
Edit: so glad to see you are doing better! Rock those curls, they're a consolation prize 😆
It's hard losing your hair whichever way it happens. I chose to buzz cut my hair before chemo but it was still traumatic when it all fell out (and painful for a short while!). I picked up a wig and that helped me a lot. My hair grew back curly but only for a few months.
@GeeEee75 That makes sense! I hope you are doing better today. The whole experience was very traumatic for me, she ended up passing away from it when i was 13 and so seeing the gradual decline in her health and functioning, all as her hair was reduced to random wisps on her head, was absolutely awful. It would have been awful either way, but seeing your hero slowly decline as a preteen is something I would never wish on anyone. I am so glad that cancer treatment has come a long way since then and that there are options for low income people who need insurance. We didn't have any and that was part of why she waited so long to see a doctor, as she'd been having abdominal pain for a good year before she went in and got diagnosed. Sorry, you didn't ask for my life story 😆 but talking about this stuff helps
@@ajaku I'm so sorry for your loss. When you lose your mother at such a young age, the grief goes on for a lifetime. I lost my mother to cancer when I was 19, so I appreciate how it feels. I'm glad if talking about it helps you. Best wishes. xx
I'm so glad Hank is alive and continues to stay that way, we need him now more then ever ❤
I'm just so happy that Hank is doing better! Hank Green must be protected at all costs!
Hi, Hank! I have been following you since your Dx, in fact that's how I found out who you are. I had "mini chemo" (methotrexate) for my lupus over 20 years ago. It was, as you say, gentle chemo, bu half of my hair fell out. When it came back, ALL of it was curly, and it was very cost effective, as I had kept my hair permed. Here is the thing: my hair stayed curly for TWENTY YEARS!! only now is my hair becoming straight again, and I HATE it! I will adjust...
There is a permanent treatment i know you can do in japan to straighten hair but i think the opposite is true as well, stays that way until it grows out. Not sure how damaging it is though
A similar thing happened to me on methotrexate... Kind of! I had dark auburn hair and 2/3 of it fell out and it grew back jet black! It still is and it's been 8 years
Love the curly hair! Also the fact that you survived to experience it! Inhope you have many happy years to come.
I have autoimmune alopecia. My hair went through cycles of come-and-go when I was a child. Got a different shade and different texture every time. Never super curly, but definitely got a nice wavy texture once. Not much recent data since my hair seems to be on permanent hiatus now.
Hey man. Thanks for sharing. I’ve always liked your show. I hope the cancer never comes back.