My Hair Is Growing Like “A Duck” Says ‘Today Show’ Host Jill Martin, 47, As She Moves Past Chemo For Breast Cancer

Preserving Your Hair During Treatment

• ‘Today Show’ host Jill Martin is experiencing hair regrowth after a grueling breast cancer treatment. She describes her hair as “growing up” as it fills in. She says cold-capping (cryotherapy) helped preserve some of her hair during treatment.
• Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after beginning chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment. Fortunately, your hair usually regrows after treatment concludes.
• If losing your hair is a concern before cancer treatment, know you have options, such as wigs, hats, wraps, and scarves.
• Cryotherapy involves scalp-cooling devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for certain cancers, including breast cancer. It’s used before, during, and after chemotherapy. It works by constricting blood flow, thus limiting circulating chemotherapy from reaching hair follicles.

“Today Show” host Jill Martin, 47, loves her hair. So, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer – among other things – one of her biggest concerns was hair loss during treatment. She used cryotherapy , which involves wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment. Now, Jill Martin has completed her chemotherapy, a treatment known to cause hair loss. As treatment ends, hair regrowth usually begins shortly after. Martin joyfully describes her hair regrowth as “it’s just growing up,” a testament to the hope and optimism that can follow such a challenging journey. Martin described her hair as looking like “a duck” on a mug she was gifted in a revealing video of herself without makeup. “I wanted to really highlight my hair today because it’s really exceptional,” Martin said in an Instagram post. During the video post, she thanked the physician who helped her with cryotherapy. Martin told People Magazine, “It sounds silly, but I love my hair. It’s always been something I’ve been proud of.”

In her journey, Jill Martin found empowerment in taking control of her appearance. For some, shaving their heads before treatment removes their hair can be a powerful act. She emphasized the importance of a familiar look, including her hair, as she continued to work on the “Today Show.” Her story is a testament to resilience and determination, inspiring those facing similar challenges. “I am still on the air on ‘Today,’ and I am on Zoom calls, and I am continuing to work while I go through this; I just didn’t want every conversation to be centered around my hair,” Martin explained.

Helping Patients Cope with Chemotherapy

• Coping with Hair Loss During Ovarian Cancer Treatment
• How to Slow Hair Loss During Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
• Adjusting Chemo to Mitigate Side Effects
• Chemotherapy Side Effects – Hair Loss
• Chemotherapy Side Effects – Neuropathy
• Chemotherapy Side Effects – Constipation

How Jill Coped With Hair Loss

Months into Martin’s cancer journey, she shared social media clips of her experiencing some hair loss. She shared an Instagram story of herself shopping for wigs. The “Steals and Deals” guru admitted early on in her cancer journey that her hair meant a lot to her, so losing some of it during treatment has been an emotional blow.

Within the social media clip, she showed herself trying on a blonde wig that mirrored her natural hair color and looks. Hair loss can be an emotional stage of anyone’s cancer journey. SurvivorNet has tips and resources for anyone facing this side effect and struggling to manage it. “For cancer patients, losing one’s hair can be unbelievably stressful. To start with, the dread of losing one’s hair can lead to some sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Samantha Boardman , a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet. Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment. WATCH: Hair loss during chemo. It happens because this treatment targets quickly dividing cells throughout the body. That includes cancer cells but also hair cells. Radiation is another treatment that can lead to hair loss if the hair is in the path of the tumor being treated. For example, radiation for a brain tumor may cause hair loss on the head. “If you do lose hair, it will regrow several weeks or months after treatment,” radiation oncologist at GensisCare Dr. James Taylor tells SurvivorNet. “Fortunately, for most patients, hair loss is not a concern when having radiation therapy.” Most patients can expect regrowth four to six weeks after treatment. However, it is possible when your hair grows back, you may notice some changes in its color and texture. Dr. Boardman suggests connecting with others experiencing cancer treatment like yours and asking them for first-hand advice. “Talk to people who have been through it, get their advice, voice your concerns to your caregiver, and see what they can do,” Dr. Boardman added. If losing your hair is a concern before cancer treatment, know you have options like wigs, hats, wraps, and more.

Understanding Scalp Cooling Devices

Brooks used a cold cap during infusions to help protect her hair follicles. Scalp-cooling devices have been approved by the FDA recently, first for breast cancer and then several other cancers. That means wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment. The caps, which are tightly fitting and strap-on helmet-style, are filled with gel coolant chilled to -15 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Essentially, the caps “cause vasoconstriction, or a narrowing of the blood vessels bringing blood to the scalp,” Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, explains. By constricting the blood flow to the scalp, the caps limit the circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects. The cold also decreases the activity of the hair follicles, slowing down cell division and making the follicles less affected by the chemotherapy medicine. WATCH: What is a scalp-cooling device? Dr. Julie Nangia , a medical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine and a lead author on one of the significant studies of the device, says 50% of women were able to keep their hair after four rounds of chemotherapy, and added: “Without the devices, 100% of patients lost their hair.” There have been some safety questions when it comes to scalp-cooling, but Dr. Nangia says that when given to people with solid tumors (like breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancer), the devices are safe.

What Jill’s Cancer Journey Was Like

The brave and resilient journalist was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer last year. Her diagnosis came shortly after she underwent genetic testing and learned she carried the BRCA gene mutation , which increased her chance of developing cancer, including breast and ovarian. After Brooks learned she carried the BRCA gene, she planned to get a preventative mastectomy to minimize her cancer risk. The procedure Brooks attempted to pursue is a prophylactic or preventive mastectomy, which removes breast tissue to prevent cancer from developing. This procedure is an option for women at higher risk, such as Brooks, who carried the BRCA gene mutation. WATCH: How Testing for BRCA in Breast Cancer Works. Brooks’ treatment involved chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts), and she had 17 lymph nodes removed. She said she still has more treatment ahead of her, with a possible hysterectomy to reduce her ovarian cancer risk further because of the BRCA gene mutation.