Cold Cap For Cancer Patients
Should i use a cold cap is one of the most common questions about chemotherapy asked by women on breast cancer care s forum cold caps or scalp cooling offer the possibility of preventing or reducing hair loss from certain chemotherapy drugs.
Cold cap for cancer patients. Please understand hair loss prevention chemotherapy induced alopecia is not guaranteed and individual results may vary. Cold cap therapy is a non invasive drug free technique of scalp cooling that can be successful in minimizing hair loss. Hair loss can be an extremely distressing side effect of chemotherapy. Caps are changed to maintain the correct optimum temperature for a period of time depending on individual specific treatment.
Kept in a special freezer before they re worn cold caps thaw out during a chemotherapy infusion session and need to be replaced with a new cap about every 30 minutes. Penguin cold cap therapy is a drug free and non invasive scalp cooling process for a broad range of applications depending on suitability including minimizing hair loss reducing minor trauma swelling and managing migraine or headache. Can wearing a cold cap during chemotherapy stop you losing your hair. Cold caps are similar to ice packs.
Newer versions of these devices use a two piece cooling cap system that is controlled by a computer which helps circulate a. You may have the cap on for a few hours in total. Penguin chemo cold caps and elastogel are some cold cap brand names. Scalp hypothermia is cooling the scalp with ice packs or cooling caps cold caps for a period of time before during and after each chemotherapy chemo treatment to try to prevent or reduce hair loss.
Women usually rent the caps and the special freezer. Research indicates 47 of female patients in the u s. A portion of chemo cold caps purchase will be donated to the american cancer society helping support the fight against cancer. Many women are willing to try something to help prevent chemo induced hair loss even if there is no guarantee although the use of scalp cooling for the prevention of chemotherapy induced hair loss is more common in europe chemo cold caps are becoming more prevalent in the u s.
It can also give some people a. Cooling caps scalp hypothermia to reduce hair loss what is it. The chemotherapy staff can help you feel as comfortable as possible. The doctors and nurses were all very impressed with the results of the cold caps.
It can be fitted easily and kept in place with velcro. Some people find the cold cap uncomfortable or heavy to wear. Arctic cold caps is recommended by the rapunzel project and by many hospitals and physicians throughout the us.