General hospital, with hair loss prevention

One of the most common consequences of chemotherapy for cancer is Hair loss This involves harm that often goes beyond aesthetics, as it also causes psychological harm to the patient. For this reasonOncology Institute Dr. Russell (IOR) From the General University Hospital of Catalonia (HUGC) at that time incorporated a technique based on scalp cooling to prevent this hair loss which has now been renewed to offer The most advanced alternative For patients

A pioneering method in preventing hair loss through oncology treatments

he Paxman scalp cooling system It works on the principle that hypothermia or hypothermia means reduced blood flow to the head area. The hair cells therefore experience less exposure to chemotherapy drugs and therefore have fewer harmful effects.

The Paxman system has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency of the US government, and has also received CE Mark approval, which is mandatory for marketing this technology in the European Union.

To apply the treatment, the patient simply puts on a silicone cap, equipped with sensors that control the temperature and also connected to a cooling unit with a uniformly and continuously circulating coolant at a temperature of – 4 ° C. Through this cooling before, during and after the cytostatic procedure, the two principles that prevent hair loss are achieved:

• the Reducing cellular metabolism It causes hair follicle cells to enter a dormant state, so that they practically do not need food or oxygen, and thus reduces the impregnation of cell inhibitors circulating in the blood.
• Cooling produces a Narrowing of blood vessels in small arteriesThis significantly reduces blood flow to the hair follicles and thus reduces the access of toxic substances to the cells responsible for hair growth.
• Cooling works by reducing the rate of cell division in the hair folliclesThis makes these cells less susceptible to attack by chemotherapy drugs.

Why is hair loss prevention important?

• Effective against hair loss: This scalp cooling system has been successfully tested in various hospital centers. Achieve a 50% chance of keeping at least 50% of the hair. There are many factors that can affect the success of scalp cooling. The most important factor is usually the type of medication. With taxanes, there is a 70-80% chance of keeping up to 50% of your hair. However, with anthracyclines, this success drops to between 35 and 40% of the chances.
• Minimal discomfort for the patient: The completely painless treatment is now available at IOR General de Catalunya. The various nursing teams are specially trained and qualified to determine the correct placement of the device which simply consists of placing a silicone cap on the patient 30 minutes before the start of chemotherapy and is secured by a neoprene insulating cap. The system is comfortable for the patient, as it allows him to move around at all times.
• Positive motivation for cancer patient: For the patient, facing the disease with the encouragement that he will be able to maintain his own image, suffer minimal aesthetic damage and avoid hair loss, is an undoubted boost to self-esteem and a very positive psychological motivation to overcome oncology and recover from the disease.