Scalp cooling has been proven to assist scale back hair loss in sufferers with most cancers handled with chemotherapy. Nevertheless, earlier than receiving scalp cooling, sufferers might have widespread questions on whether or not it’s painful and the way lengthy a session takes.
When sufferers with most cancers obtain chemotherapy remedy, the chemotherapy assaults fast-growing cells, which embrace most cancers cells but in addition different regular cells, based on Memorial Sloan Kettering Most cancers Middle. Which means that the chemotherapy additionally assaults hair cells, which might result in hair loss in all components of the physique.
Utilizing the scalp cooling method might assist sure sufferers with most cancers decelerate and scale back hair loss, Dr. Stephen Kimani, breast medical oncologist on the College of Utah Huntsman Most cancers Institute, instructed CURE® throughout an interview.
By reducing the temperature across the scalp, much less blood move to the scalp means much less chemotherapy will assault the hair cells and cells close to the scalp, he defined.
LEARN MORE: Scalp Cooling Might Assist Chemo-Induced Hair Loss for Sure Cancers
Nevertheless, earlier than sufferers think about this intervention of scalp cooling, folks additionally ask questions reminiscent of “Is scalp cooling painful?” and “How lengthy do scalp cooling periods final?”
So, we spoke with Kimani to reply these two generally requested questions.
When it comes to scalp cooling and ache, Kimani famous that it’s not painful, though it may be uncomfortable.
“One of the best ways to consider it’s, in case you put your hand within the freezer for a bit longer, let’s say you’re looking for one thing and your hand is in there for a superb 5 minutes, the type of ache is said to the cooling impact,” he defined.
When sufferers obtain scalp cooling, Kimani talked about that the units can attain near 32 levels Fahrenheit, which is the freezing level of water.
Though it’s an uncomfortable temperature, he mentioned, the physique tends to get used to the chilly temperature after 10 to 12 minutes.
A session of scalp cooling occurs throughout a chemotherapy infusion, so the size of time a scalp cooling session lasts largely will depend on how lengthy the remedy takes, Kimani defined.
It’s essential that the hair follicles are chilly sufficient earlier than sufferers can obtain chemotherapy remedy, he mentioned, which takes roughly half-hour. Then, sufferers will obtain remedy with the chilly cap on, which can take a few hours. When the chemotherapy infusion is accomplished, sufferers proceed sporting the chilly cap till their our bodies metabolize the remedy. This era might take as much as two hours, Kimani mentioned.
Transcript:
It isn’t snug, however it’s not out-of-this-world painful, so I will provide you with an instance. One of the best ways to consider it’s, in case you put your hand within the freezer for slightly bit longer, like as an instance you are looking for one thing and your hand is in there for a superb 5 minutes, the type of ache is, is said to the cooling impact. This system — the chilly cap — is making an attempt to decrease the temperature of the scalp, so they’re usually operating at a temperature that’s fairly low, and generally even near [32 degrees Fahrenheit]. So that’s not how our our bodies are designed to really feel and revel in temperature, so it may be uncomfortable.
The opposite method to consider it’s, in case you are to soak your self in an ice tub, there’s that preliminary discomfort. That is how [a cold cap] looks like. What I inform sufferers is that much like that tub analogy, you get used to it after a number of minutes. So, the primary 10 or 12 minutes might be uncomfortable. And sufferers ought to plan accordingly and discuss to the docs as effectively.
One attainable intervention is to take a dose of ache treatment, in case you’re capable of earlier than you go into the remedy in order that it covers that half an hour. However then for the remainder of it, it may be bearable, because the temperature is extra uniformly chilly round your scalp.
Different uncomfortable side effects that sufferers have talked about are feeling dizzy or lightheaded. We’ve not skilled sufferers reporting extreme lightheadedness the place they cross out. However once more, this idea of freezing your mind or your head in a method, type of makes you are feeling lightheaded. And in some sufferers that may additionally deal with their nausea. Most of that is gentle and is anticipated and deliberate for appropriately and mustn’t preclude somebody from making an attempt this intervention.
You wish to be sure the hair follicle is chilly earlier than chemotherapy will get there, proper? So oftentimes, sufferers may have will put on the chilly cap for a number of minutes, often about half an hour earlier than the chemotherapy begins.
After which they’ve to attend throughout the entirety of the chemotherapy infusion. Then, they must nonetheless maintain it on whereas the chemotherapy treatment continues to be being processed by the physique after the infusion has ended. And whereas it is being damaged down, metabolized and eradicated. So primarily based on that, you may see that the kind of chemotherapy they’re getting, the kind of routine they’re getting, will decide how lengthy the cooling goes on for. So most traditional breast most cancers regimens, [patients] will put on this chilly cap for half-hour earlier than they will wait throughout the infusion which is commonly a few hours. After which possibly 20 minutes to 2 hours. However it will fluctuate relying on different regiments and the way lengthy it takes their our bodies to clear it after the infusion is completed.
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