Can hair loss caused by chemotherapy be prevented? A Swedish invention recently caught the eyes of many female cancer patients waiting to receive chemotherapy.
This invention, the DigniCap system, chills the scalp during chemotherapy, shrinking blood vessels and reducing the dose of chemotherapy to the hair cells, thus preserving healthy hair without interfering with cancer treatment.
The DigniCap system features a mobile cooling unit and two caps. The inner cap, which is form-fitted to the patient’s head, contains cooling tubes and temperature sensors. The sensors control the cooling unit to keep scalp temperature within two degrees centigrade. The cap has snap-on fittings so it can quickly be disconnected from the cooling unit, allowing the patient easy mobility.
The outer cap is made of neoprene, which insulates the inner cap and holds it in place during the treatment.
Oncology nurse Yvonne Olofsson came up with the idea after seeing the cancer patients she worked with suffering hair loss from chemotherapy. She and engineer John Kern collaborated, creating the first DigniCap system in the early 2000s, according to the company’s official website.
The company tested the device in a few European countries before introducing it to the United States.
Heather Millar, a freelance writer based in San Francisco and a breast cancer patient, says in her blog that her experience of wearing the DigniCap was positive, considering how much hair means to women.
“I’m writing this with my hair tied up in a bandana. It’s good to have it there, not because I’m too vain to live without it but because it’s nice to have one shred of normality as I face another chemotherapy infusion next week,” the 47-year-old mother was able to keep most of her hair despite multiple chemotherapeutic treatments.
“Come on FDA. Please allow a larger trial so that this system which has been used for years overseas can be available in the United States,” wrote Millar in her latest blog entry.
Eventually, her voice was heard; she may be part of a trial run by the federal Food and Drug Administration which will decide if the Swedish device can be widely used in U.S. hospitals, according to msnbc.com.
Doctors at the non-profit Mayo Clinic also suggest patients consider cutting their hair short, avoid dying or bleaching prior to chemotherapy, use satin (or other gentle material) pillow cases and avoid blow-drying hair after a chemotherapy session.
This invention, the DigniCap system, chills the scalp during chemotherapy, shrinking blood vessels and reducing the dose of chemotherapy to the hair cells, thus preserving healthy hair without interfering with cancer treatment.
The DigniCap system features a mobile cooling unit and two caps. The inner cap, which is form-fitted to the patient’s head, contains cooling tubes and temperature sensors. The sensors control the cooling unit to keep scalp temperature within two degrees centigrade. The cap has snap-on fittings so it can quickly be disconnected from the cooling unit, allowing the patient easy mobility.
The outer cap is made of neoprene, which insulates the inner cap and holds it in place during the treatment.
Oncology nurse Yvonne Olofsson came up with the idea after seeing the cancer patients she worked with suffering hair loss from chemotherapy. She and engineer John Kern collaborated, creating the first DigniCap system in the early 2000s, according to the company’s official website.
The company tested the device in a few European countries before introducing it to the United States.
Heather Millar, a freelance writer based in San Francisco and a breast cancer patient, says in her blog that her experience of wearing the DigniCap was positive, considering how much hair means to women.
“I’m writing this with my hair tied up in a bandana. It’s good to have it there, not because I’m too vain to live without it but because it’s nice to have one shred of normality as I face another chemotherapy infusion next week,” the 47-year-old mother was able to keep most of her hair despite multiple chemotherapeutic treatments.
“Come on FDA. Please allow a larger trial so that this system which has been used for years overseas can be available in the United States,” wrote Millar in her latest blog entry.
Eventually, her voice was heard; she may be part of a trial run by the federal Food and Drug Administration which will decide if the Swedish device can be widely used in U.S. hospitals, according to msnbc.com.
Doctors at the non-profit Mayo Clinic also suggest patients consider cutting their hair short, avoid dying or bleaching prior to chemotherapy, use satin (or other gentle material) pillow cases and avoid blow-drying hair after a chemotherapy session.
