{"id":12611,"date":"2025-12-04T16:07:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T16:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=12611"},"modified":"2025-12-04T17:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:55:11","slug":"cold-cap-hair-loss-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/cold-cap-hair-loss-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold Cap Hair Loss Cancer Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Hair loss can be a big concern for people who are going through chemotherapy. While hair typically grows back after treatment, the loss of hair can be distressing, as it is a reminder of how cancer has changed them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cold capping, or scalp cooling, is a type of therapy that might reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cold capping treatment uses a device to lower the temperature of the scalp and\u00a0constrict\u00a0the blood vessels. The cold helps keep cell-killing chemo away from hair follicles to protect the hair.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two main types of scalp cooling devices are automated and manual, and they work in\u00a0different ways.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Automated cold caps are automated scalp cooling systems that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)\u00a0and are covered by insurance. They work by connecting a special cap to an automated device that circulates a liquid or gel cooled to a specific temperature. Automated cold caps are only approved for chemo-induced hair loss related to solid tumor\u00a0cancers, not blood cancers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manual scalp cooling devices are frozen gel caps that are not regulated by the FDA and are not covered by insurance. This type of device\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0use an automated cooling system. Instead, it is manually cooled in a freezer or with dry ice. The temperature for frozen gel caps must be much lower compared to automated cold cap\u00a0systems, because\u00a0the cap starts to warm as soon as it\u00a0is put\u00a0on a person\u2019s head. A new frozen cap must be put on every 30 minutes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A cancer care team may\u00a0advise\u00a0against a patient using cold capping if they:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n