What is Scalp Cooling
The treatment for cancer – chemotherapy – has a common side effect that can seriously cause emotional distress and even depression among patients. That side effect is alopecia, more commonly known as hair loss. For many, hair loss becomes an ever-constant reminder that they have cancer. It affects a patient’s body image and self-confidence and can lead to social isolation as there is generally a stigma attached to it. No matter how prepared a patient may feel, for chemo treatment, seeing clumps of their hair on their hands after a bath or on their pillows delivers a big emotional blow. To effectively manage chemotherapy-induced alopecia, many forms of intervention have been in use. In the 1970s, a method called scalp hypothermia or scalp cooling was used to help improve hair loss in many patients. The technique works by keeping the patient’s scalp cold during the chemo infusion and for some time after the chemo drugs have been given. The Cooling Caps There have been several techn...