Has anyone used a cold cap for chemotherapy?

I did not use it, but i remember 2 women on bc.org saying that their hair thinned a lot, but in the end they had hair. They also mentioned that having someone to help is better. You have probably googled it, but i expect someone on this site will have real experience.
I had long read hair all my life. All my life i was the little red-haired girl. My oncologist did not promote the cold cap. I do know for many; it is a way to go. I lost all my hair. 2 years later, I got another diagnosis and today I lost it a 2nd time. That is my story.
I say investigate, and know if you follow all the guidelines with these cold cap treatments, you may end up with thinner hair, but you may have hair.

Use the search bar for: Cold Cap.
There are a number of different posts on the subject.

Thank you!

I used Penguin cold caps for 12 weeks of Taxol for HER2+. It was very successful for me, lost very little hair. It’s a lot of work and you need to follow all the hair care instructions for best results. There are other less manual methods (Dignicap, Paxman, etc.) you can research if you have time. Insurance didn’t cover mine so it can be expensive. I spent roughly $2000. It’s not for everyone but I’m happy I did it. I didn’t have to disclose my cancer diagnosis unless I wanted to. Helped me maintain a sense of normalcy while going through a difficult time. Make sure your chemo drugs are compatible. Some types of drugs it won’t work for.

Hi , I used dignicap for my one and only round of chemo and it worked well for me . Around day 18 -24 after your first infusion is when you lose a lot of hair . After that you will steadily lose less and less hair . I’m 6 months out from my infusion and I finally stopped shedding . Your hair will start growing back 3 to 4 months after your last infusion , but you will continue to shed even though your hair is growing back . I lost about half my hair on top with a couple of bald spots that I was able to hide with a hairband . Now it’s all growing back and you cant tell . Hope this helps 🙂

I didn't use a cold cap. I lost my hair due to Taxol. It came back the best hair I ever had. So nice and curly. After my first couple of haircuts it was gone, but I'm so glad I experienced wonderful hair in my lifetime! I went through chemo at 79-80. I'm now 82 and showing no sighs of new tumors. A very nice wig worn when I was bald ,was a complete waste of time and money.

I lost my hair from chemo nearly 3 years ago. It came back jut to my shoulders as it looked when i was a child. Re and curly.
In April of this year, i lost it again due to MDS and chemo. This time the loss of long red hair of 40 years was walked through. At just to the top of my shoulders I let it go. I still have a good wig from my first time, but this time after going to a zoom class on wigs, I realized i was not getting a new one. Beanie caps are what i will wear.
Find in your heart what YOU want.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments.
Kathy

It will likely depend on the type of chemo you’re having. I did weekly taxol for 12 weeks with the cold cap and it worked well. I lost probably 20 percent of my hair, but it wasn’t noticeable. After I was done, the hair I lost grew back quickly and actually much fuller than before. I definitely have nicer hair now than before I got breast cancer!

I used paxman for my cold capping experience. Cold capping doesn’t stop your hair from falling out so much as it protects the follicles so that it grows back faster. I lost probably two thirds of my hair. I did not wear my wig, but I had obvious thinning. I wore hats and combed my hair over to hide my huge bald spot.

After going through it, I understand why some women choose not to use cold caps. The constant fear of losing the rest of my hair caused so much anxiety and I never felt in control of what was happening. Cold capping can also extend the time of your treatments by several hours and some cancer centers only allow certain brands of cold caps. The maintenance and prep time is also something to consider.

There are organizations who will help pay for paxman. After I completed treatments and followed through with the paper work, I was reimbursed almost all of the money I put down.

I attached a photo my hair a couple of weeks after finishing chemo. Prior to chemo I had long thick curly hair. It grew back and almost back to normal now, 2 years later.