Breast Cancer Treatment Caused Hair Loss for Shannen Doherty

Actress Shannen Doherty, 50, known for her iconic roles in "Beverly Hills, 90120" and "Charmed," is opening up about the real effects of breast cancer treatment.

Doherty announced in 2020 that her breast cancer had returned as stage 4 after going into remission in 2017. "I definitely have days where I say, Why me. And then I go, Well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this? None of us do," she shared in her interview on "Good Morning America."

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, the actress published a series of black-and-white photos this week on Instagram showing the day in 2016 she made the decision to shave her head.

'I loved my hair. It had defined me to a certain extent and provided me with a security blanket of sorts. I'm sharing with you the day the decision was made to shave my head.'

"When I started chemotherapy, I tried a cold cap in hopes of saving my hair. While it works for many and is amazing, it didn't work for me," Doherty shared. She went on to say every time she washed her hair, clumps fell out and it was becoming difficult to cover up the bald spots.

The caption continued, "I finally made a decision to shave what was left of my hair. It was a battle on its own. I loved my hair. It had defined me to a certain extent and provided me with a security blanket of sorts. I'm sharing with you the day the decision was made to shave my head."

This isn't the first photo Doherty has shared in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Earlier this month, she posted a photo of herself bald, lying in bed with a nosebleed.

"My hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like. I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut thru the fear and face whatever might be in front of you," she wrote in the photo's caption.

The actress has received support from her peers. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brian Austin Green and Selma Blair were just a few of the celebrities to comment on Doherty's candid Instagram posts, sending her love and thanking her for her bravery.

You can see more on Shannen Doherty's life and her experience with stage 4 breast cancer on Instagram, and read more stories about real breast cancer survivors here.