I start chemo on Wednesday and have opted to have a cold cap. Can anybody tell me their experience of using a cold cap, good or bad. Thanks in advance
Hello EAH
I am sorry to see that you have had a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and that you are now having chemotherapy. I hope that your treatment goes well.
I used the cold cap (Paxman) during my chemotherapy May-Aug last year. My chemo was carboplatin and paclitaxel.
For me it was definitely worth it. My hair thinned but I had no bald spots and although I had a wig and scarfs on standby - I did not need them. For me hair is an important part of my identity and I did not want to look like I had cancer.
It adds half an hour to the beginning of the day and depending on which regime you are on up to 1hr 30 mins to the end of the day. Although that seems a lot, when you are actually there it doesn't seem so bad. The end of the day time I spent chatting to the nurses and other patients so actually it worked out ok.
There is some discomfort with the cold cap. I was advised to take paracetamol an hour before and did this. When you first arrive they spray your hair with conditioner and then put on the cap. It takes 30 mins to cool down to the correct temperature and for me this was the painful bit. It was not intolerable but I had to try to distract myself and really focus on myself for those minutes. Once the numbness set in I didn't find it too bad at all. For me, the cap went on around 830 and normally be taken off 5 ish.
I did feel a bit headachy at times but that was also probably partly down to the chemo infusions. When the cap was removed at the end of the day it was always a sense of relief as it has to be tight to work. If you try it and find it too uncomfortable I was told it could be turned off and removed without any fuss. In my opinion it is worth a try.
With the cold cap you will likely still experience some shedding. Without the cool cap I would have lost all the hair on my head and body. Around day 14 after the first cycle I began shedding. It was similar for all cycles and there was a little more shedding after the final chemo. Body hair went within 2-3 weeks completely. That is one reason I know it worked for me.
They give you advice on haircare while using the cap and it is mainly treating hair gently, washing it twice a week, no straighteners, colouring etc. Best to get a wide tooth comb as when hair sheds if you don't comb it , it may end up matting.
After the first cycle I had thinner hair on top so used a theatre cap to protect my scalp.
My last chemo was in August 2023. Due to the cold capping (I believe) my hair was starting to regrow during chemo. I believe it helped protect my hair follicles. Shedding stopped around 6 weeks post final chemo. Thinner spots had filled in nicely within the month. My hair is now at different lengths but thick and healthy. I coloured it at 12 weeks post chemo and use lots of conditioner. My hair was at its worst in the 6 weeks post chemo while I was doing radiotherapy. Its condition was not good and it was a bit frizzy but other than that short time, if you did not know me, you would not have realised I had gone through chemo.
Good luck, and I hope that you find it tolerable and that it works for you
Jane
It was always a relief to take it off at the end of the day. One of my chemo treatments was last year in the heat wave and apart from the first hour, it was actually ok. I found it was also the pressure of the tightness that can be uncomfortable. If you are like me, expect some shedding in about 2 weeks. A few days before I had a tender scalp and a little itchy and that happened on all the cycles. The shedding does not mean that the scalp cooling has not worked so don't be put off. I experienced regrowth just after my third cycle of chemo, because of this I didn't have any bald spots. If you do lose a bit more than me I believe it did protect my hair follicles and lead to better and quicker regrowth. If all my hair had come out, I would still have continued but I understand it is a personal choice.
From what I understand through my own experience is that it is the paclitaxel that causes the hair loss in particular. I lost body hair about the same time as my head hair started to shed. Carboplatin is supposed to only cause thinning and I met some ladies who were on the ward at the same time as me and although they had a fair bit of thinning in places , it does seem to be the case.
When the hair sheds it feels like its never going to end and feels like its so much but it does seem to slow down and I tried to concentrate on what was on my head rather than the hair brush. It is important to brush your hair gently and wash it gently twice a week so that the hair that is coming out does not tangle with what is left. You won't be pulling out any hair by doing this, if it's coming out, it's coming out what ever you do.
Around the time of the 2nd chemo I noticed the texture of my hair changed and it went very light. I think the chemo must strip the colour or something. My hair is normally dark blondish and I use colour on it.
I still think I had a good result and my consultant agreed when I went for my check up last week.
Jane
I hope it works for you. I saw my hairdresser today, she is a friend and she remarked that my hair is looking healthy and has thickened up really quickly. Going to have the ends trimmed next week. The ends are dryer from the chemo but other than that it looks pretty much how it did before I started.
Mine was soft before chemo. Got drier from after 2nd chemo. During chemo I washed it with luke warm water in the shower. Twice a week only. Paraben free shampoo. Let it dry naturally. No massaging the hair like you normally to to rub the shampoo in. Wide tooth comb and just gentle care really. I got some spray in//leave in hair conditioner that I used/aimed at children. I also used dry shampoo occasionally.
