Scalp hair repigmentation after radiotherapy.

Abstract

We report a rare case of scalp hair repigmentation after radiotherapy in a 76-year-old male. The patient had grey scalp hairs for over a decade, and was treated with radiotherapy, 45 Gy delivered over 25 fractions, for squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp and neck. He subsequently underwent a period of radiotherapy-induced alopecia and when his hair regrew four months later it was unexpectedly coloured orange to brown, his natural hair colour in his youth. There are limited reported cases of this phenomenon. This report adds to the limited literature, highlighting the role of hair follicle melanocytes and melanocyte stem cell plasticity in hair colour restoration, and how factors such as radiation may influence it.