Cancer Care

Scalp cooling technology helps to reduce chemotherapy hair loss 

For many cancer patients, hair loss during chemotherapy is one of the hardest parts of their treatment plan. While it can be an inevitable treatment side effect, it is often an emotional hurdle for patients to overcome. 

At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, our cancer patients have the opportunity to incorporate the Paxman Scalp Cooling System into their cancer treatment plan. The Paxman is the first FDA-approved scalp cooling technology to help prevent hair loss during chemotherapy.

How do cooling caps work?

Research has shown that many chemotherapy patients lose their hair because the treatment goes all the way to their hair cells. Chemotherapy can affect all of the cells in the body, even the healthy ones like hair cells. 

With the Paxman, the patient wears a snug-fitting silicone cooling cap that is connected to a cooling and control unit. The coolant circulates in the channels of the cap while a patient is receiving their chemotherapy treatment. 

The approach is proven to help with chemotherapy-induced hair loss. The cooling cap technology reduces blood flow to the scalp, lowering the scalp temperature and also constricting scalp blood vessels so that less chemotherapy will reach the hair cells. With reduced exposure to a full chemotherapy dose, the cooling caps help give hair cells the chance to remain healthy and survive the treatment.

While the Paxman Cooling Caps aren’t a guarantee that patients will keep all of their hair, it greatly improves the chances that they will retain some of it during the course of their treatment. 

The St. Elizabeth Cancer Care team will work directly with Paxman to set up the service for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The Paxman is fitted at the beginning of the patient’s treatment and stays on for the duration of the infusion. It is used for each subsequent cycle of chemotherapy.