Cap That Prevents Hair Loss From Cancer Treatment Made Available In UK

A Private and NHS hospital in Somerset has begun to offer a state of the art treatment which aims to prevent hair loss for patients undergoing treatment for cancer, with hospital staff personally trying the system first.

Cooling caps for the scalp are not exactly breaking news as a means of preventing hair loss from cancer treatment, but they have been a subject of debate for doctors. In the past, concerns were raised that whilst reducing the blood supply to the scalp would reduce the amount of cancer treatment drug reaching that area (and therefore potentially  lessen the hair loss) the caps could make users more likely to develop cancer in the cooled area.

Caps For Cancer

However, CircleBath hospital has made the decision to offer cooling caps to their cancer patients in Bath and surrounding communities. Discussing this controversial decision, the lead nurse for CircleBath Hospital oncology Sandra Jones explained: "We researched, deliberated and compared clinical and technical aspects of several scalp-cooling treatments before making our final decision.

"Then we decided that we needed to try the caps ourselves before offering them to our patients.  DigniCap was eminently more comfortable and user-friendly. Add to that the assurance of clinically proven safety, and there was really no debate."

The Latest Technology

The high-tech cap not only cools the scalp but monitors temperature consistency, and is also the first cap to offer temperatures above freezing, making it more comfortable for patients. It being offered in a UK hospital is certainly a step towards treating cancer without hair loss occurring, but it also may be a substantial amount of time before this combative treatment is more widespread.

It is also important to recognise that treating hair loss from cancer treatment medically is not possible. However, any hair lost should usually grow back after the  treatment has finished, though this may take several months. Sometimes, however, hair does not return to its previous density, and this may be due to the onset of female pattern hair loss coinciding with this other type of hair loss.

When Hair Doesn't Grow Back

is a genetic condition, which means that we inherit the predisposition to it from our family tree. Because it is in our genes, it cannot be cured, but a bespoke hair loss treatment programme that includes the clinically approved hair loss medication minoxidil can regrow thinning hair very effectively. Even sparse areas of hair that are proving difficult to treat can be tackled using our unique high strength minoxidil cream.

By formulating our own minoxidil solutions and creams, we can not only tailor the dose strength for each individual patient, we can also add active ingredients that appear to block DHT, the androgen that attacks scalp follicles to cause pattern hair loss. Minoxidil combined with various treatment boosters, from the supplement Hair Vitalics to the FDA cleared LaserComb, gives you a very good chance of tackling your hair loss.