Chemo Cold Caps Can Help Preserve Hair

Posted by Lascolinascancercenter on November 7th, 2014

Many cancer patients say the treatments often feel worse than the disease itself. While it’s true that aggressive cancer therapies can be quite uncomfortable, many of the side effects can be successfully treated. Up until recently, however, the hair loss that often goes hand-in-hand with chemotherapy was considered a side effect that just couldn’t be avoided for many.

That’s not the case any longer. A new development known as the Chemo Cold Cap can help some patients preserve their hair even while they are undergoing aggressive treatments.

What is the Chemo Cold Cap?

The cold cap is a device that is worn on the head just before, during, and after infusion treatments. It’s designed to restrict blood flow to the scalp so that chemo drugs cannot damage the hair’s follicles.

How does it Work?

The cap is designed to cool down to a negative 22 degrees. This, for many, effectively stops chemo drugs from reaching the hair follicles by restricting blood vessels in the scalp. While the temperature required for the cold cap to work is quite cold indeed, the side effects from wearing it are quite minimal. Some patients say they feel minor discomfort when it’s first put on and others have reported some headaches and dizziness.

How Long Does it Take?

The cold cap should be worn for about 50 minutes prior to treatment, during treatment, and for about three hours after. It has been shown, however, that wearing the cap for up to six hours after treatment seems to produce better results in regard to hair preservation.

Patients who try chemo cold caps are generally under no obligation to continue their use if they find them uncomfortable. Their use, however, has been shown in many cases to preserve hair and help combat at least this side effect of cancer treatment.

To find more about the chemo cold cap and to see if it’s right for you, be sure to consult your cancer care specialist. The cap is effective for many, but the dosage of chemotherapy, age, and hair characteristics can all play a role in how successful this treatment will be for you.

About Las Colinas Cancer Center

The Las Colinas Cancer Center is a state-of-the-art treatment facility in North Texas. Its experts treat a variety of cancer types and bring compassionate, cutting-edge care to patients and their families. Our experienced and trained medical staffs is attentive to detail and our center offers the most advanced cancer fighting technology available in North Texas including on-site PET & CT Scanning. The physicians on staff at our Las Colinas location are Dr. Gregory Echt, Dr. Neeraja Dasari, Dr. James Mackey, and Dr. Kiran Kancharla. Visit www.lascolinascancercenter.com to know more.