The United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the expanded use of a cooling cap to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.
The DigniCap Cooling System is the first cooling cap cleared by the agency for use in cancer patients with solid tumours.
“We are pleased to expand the use of this product for cancer patients with solid tumours to potentially minimize chemotherapy-induced hair loss,” said Binita Ashar, director, Division of Surgical Devices, in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “Managing the side effects of chemotherapy is a critical component to overall health and quality of life.”
Using a Cold Cap, also known as a Cooling Cap or Scalp Cooling Therapy, can help reduce hair loss or hair thinning that is caused by chemotherapy. Two studies recently published by the Journal of American Medicinal Association have found that over 50% of women who used Scalp Cooling during treatment kept 50% of more of their hair, compared to women who did not use scalp cooling.
Read the full blog post from Heather Millar, a breast cancer patient who tried the Dignicap here: http://blogs.webmd.com/cancer/2015/12/cold-cap-chemo-without-hair-loss.html