PORTSMOUTH- Any cancer diagnosis can be devastating. Even the treatment can be hard. For many, one of the most emotional and difficult parts of receiving chemotherapy is the loss of hair. However, new equipment at the SOMC Cancer Center gives patients a chance at avoiding that hair loss during treatment. It’s called a Cooling Cap, and it’s an opportunity Debbie Daniels did not hesitate to seize.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Daniels explained. “You prepare your hair first: wet it, slick it back, really soak your roots. Then you put a cooling wrap and compression cap on your head. You have them on thirty minutes before you start your treatment, then it stays on the whole time during the treatment. You also stay two hours with it on after the treatment.”

While there is no guarantee you won’t lose hair, the system is designed to reduce the temperature of your scalp enough that it narrows the blood vessels and reduces the amount of chemotherapy medicine that reaches the hair follicles. Daniels said she has personally spoken to other patients who have used the system with success.

Daniels acknowledged being caught off guard by how cold her scalp became the first time she used it, but she quickly adjusted to the cap. “It gets really cold,” she said. “But after around 15 minutes, your head just kind of becomes numb to it. It’s not bad at all.”

She also noted that the machine is portable, so patients are not tethered to a chair, and praised the Cancer Center staff for making the experience as pleasant as possible.

“The nurses at the Cancer Center are wonderful,” she said. “They wrapped my feet in warm blankets and put warm blankets around my shoulders. You’re just kind of warm of and cozy.”

The most obvious benefit of the Cooling Caps is that it helps patients avoid the mental and emotional trauma of losing their hair. However, Daniels has noticed there are other benefits as well. “While you’re getting the treatment, it’s almost a distraction,” she said. “You’re not thinking about the treatment, you’re thinking about the cooling cap.”

It’s an experience Daniels recommends other patients try, as well. “It’s a big deal to lose your hair,” she acknowledged. “My hair is thin, but you want to keep what you have if you’re able to.”

The Cooling Caps were purchased through the SOMC Development Foundation’s Compassion Fund. To learn more about how you can make other purchases like this possible, visit somc.org/development.