Can This New Scalp Cooling Cap Stop Hair Loss In Breast Cancer Patients?
In what could be a huge step for cancer patients everywhere, a silicone cooling cap has been shown to prevent hair loss in patients undergoing chemotherapy. This treatment, which regularly causes moderate to severe hair loss in patients, is looking like it’s going to have one less side effect in the future thanks to this new device.
Chemotherapy Complications
Chemotherapy can cause rapid hair loss in patients as the chemicals reach the scalp through the circulatory system. While chemotherapy is often an effective treatment for certain types of cancer, hair loss can be a struggle for many patients. However, this new silicone cooling cap has recently been shown to reduce hair loss by constricting blood vessels in the scalp, limiting the blood flow and reducing hair’s exposure to chemotherapy drugs. This allows patients to potentially keep their hair during their treatment.
Simple Hair Loss Prevention Promoting Dignity
While hair loss during chemotherapy is usually reversible, it’s still incredibly important that patients have the option to retain their hair during treatment. Hair loss can be embarrassing for patients going through cancer treatment, and this device could potentially allow patients to go through treatment more comfortably. While previously this option has only been available for breast cancer patients, studies suggest that it may also be effective for other types of cancer as well, and that’s good news for the 9,500 people who are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. This will likely mean more patients are able to keep their hair throughout chemotherapy, helping them go through treatment with dignity and helping them maintain their emotional health throughout the process.
The Future Of Cancer Treatment
With the right medical manufacturers, it’s possible this treatment option could help people fight hair loss during cancer treatment. Some industries are able to cut production costs by as much as 35% with the right contract manufacturer, so even smaller clinics may be able to afford this treatment in the near future. However, the future is still uncertain for this therapy method, and it remains to be seen whether its use in cancer clinics and hospitals spreads.