Designed for women diagnosed with breast cancer, a cold cap has surfaced as an aid in the reduction of hair loss for chemo patients. “Chemotherapy may destroy your cancer, but it doesn’t have to destroy your hair,” expresses the new line of cooling caps.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy have faced the almost inevitable possibility of losing their hair during their stint of radiation and chemo sessions.
Wearing a scalp cooling cap during chemotherapy has long been known as an effective method to help to prevent hair loss.
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However, patients in the U.S. did not have access to an FDA-approved scalp cooling treatment, until recently.
Known as the DigniCap, the Sweden-based Dignitana Cooling System company has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help prevent hair loss in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer with their intelligent scalp cooling headwear.
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How does it work?
A computer-controlled system circulates cooled liquid to the cap during chemotherapy.
This is designed to constrict blood vessels in the scalp, limiting the number of chemotherapy drugs that reach the hair follicles, the agency said in a news release.
In clinical testing, more than two-thirds of women who wore the cap reported losing less than half of their hair.
And the likelihood of chemotherapy drugs missing an isolated cluster of breast cancer cells in the scalp because of the cap was "extremely rare," the FDA said.
But since the cap doesn't work with all chemotherapy drugs, any woman interested in using the product should speak with her doctor, the FDA advised.
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Possible side effects
The most common side effects of the cap include headache, neck and shoulder pain, chills and pain associated with wearing the cap for extended periods.
Hair loss is by far women’s #1 concern when it comes to breast cancer treatment. Known as a common side effect of certain types of chemotherapy, Black women hold even more reservations on the alopecia-prone therapy.
Hair may fall out entirely, gradually, in sections, or may become thin.
However, hair loss due to cancer treatment is usually temporary, but minimizing or relieving these kinds of side effects are considered important to women’s overall mental, emotional and physical treatment.
Preparing for hair loss
In addition to cool caps, there are many measures you can take to prepare yourself for potential hair loss:
- Cut your hair short before you begin chemotherapy. Cutting your hair will help you get used to having less hair and make it easier to manage any shedding that may occur. Cutting your hair will also make it easier to wear wigs, should you decide to. Some hair salons offer free haircuts to people who are losing their hair due to chemotherapy or are in the process of growing it back. You can search online to see if there are hair salons in your area offering this service.
- Try head coverings. Coverings such as scarves, hats, and turbans will keep your head warm and protected from the sun. They are also great at concealing your hair loss. You can read more about which scarves, hats, and turbans may work best for you.
- Try wigs. If wigs are something that interest you, there are some advantages to picking it out before you start chemotherapy. Picking your wig out before will give you more time to easily match the wig to your natural hair color and style. You can read more about wigs, including where to buy them, how to get insurance to cover the cost, and how to put on and care for a wig.
FDA.org, FDA allows marketing of cooling cap to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy, Dec. 8, 2015
