In anagen effluvium the metabolic process is brought to a sudden stop making a sharp break in the production of the hair shaft. The hair fiber is then shed but, unlike telogen effluvium, the hair follicle does not enter a resting telogen state. Consequently, when conditions become more favorable, the onset of hair regrowth is equally as sudden as the initial loss. Hair follicles are not normally destroyed and will regrow hair if more favorable conditions return as after completion of chemotherapy. Some attempts have been made to find ways to reduce the extent of hair loss when using anti cancer drugs.
Some dermatologists advocate the use of a tourniquet around the scalp as drugs are injected.
The restriction of blood flow to scalp skin is believed to limit the immediate effects of any drug. Other dermatologists use ice packs on the scalp to reduce blood flow and apparently reduce the drug effects on hair follicles in a similar way. However, it has been questioned whether limiting the activity of chemotherapy drugs in the scalp may also allow any cancerous cells in scalp skin to escape the drug activity. There are other experimental procedures and drugs that have been used to prevent drug induced hair loss. See the reference list below.