After diagnosis with cancer and beginning chemotherapy treatment, one of the common side effects people look out for is having their hair fall out.

Hair loss from chemotherapy can be an emotional and even traumatic experience, and many people find themselves surprised with how emotional they are about the side effect. But why exactly does hair fall out after chemotherapy—and does every medication cause it?

What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy (often referred to simply as “chemo”) is a common method of treating cancer, using a wide variety of medications to kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs target cancer cells, but it does so by targeting fast-growing cells. Unfortunately, certain healthy, fast-growing cells may be caught in the crossfire, such as cells of the skin, hair, intestines, and bone marrow, which can lead to some chemotherapy side effects, according to WebMD.

Chemotherapy is sometimes used as the only method of treating a person’s cancer, but can also be used in conjunction with surgery, radiation therapy, and biological therapy.

When and How Will My Hair Fall Out—and Will It Grow Back?

One of the most well-known side effects of chemotherapy is having hair fall out. This can affect hair loss all over the body, including eyelashes, eyebrows, armpits, pubic hair, and elsewhere. Often, hair starts to fall out about two to four weeks after chemotherapy treatment begins.

Some find that their hair comes out quickly and in clumps, but others find that they are essentially “shedding” their hair gradually. Either way, this may cause your scalp to feel more tender than normal.

Hair loss generally continues throughout treatment, and it can take several weeks after treatment is over for your hair to start growing back again. Don’t worry if the hair that grows back is different than it was before. It may have a different texture or color, or even curly instead of straight, but this is usually temporary.

Do All Chemo Treatments Cause Hair Loss?

Not every chemotherapy treatment is as likely as others to cause hair loss, and the strength of the doses can also have an effect on whether the hair loss is total or mere thinning.

According to WebMD, your doctor will be able to inform you if your particular chemotherapy medication is likely to cause hair loss, which will give you time to plan ahead for how you want to approach it. Some people choose to wear wigs or scarves, shave their heads entirely, or take treatments to reduce the hair loss.

Can I File a Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit?

A growing number of cancer patients are filing lawsuits after suffering from permanent hair loss complications from chemotherapy drugs like Taxotere. Indeed, Taxotere users claim that the breast cancer drug caused permanent rather than temporary hair loss, and that after their treatment period was over, they remained unable to grow their hair back properly.

If you or someone you love has suffered from hair loss after taking Taxotere or another docetaxel medication during chemotherapy, you may be able to file a Taxotere lawsuit and pursue compensation.