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Anyone use scalp cooling to prevent hair loss during ASCT?
A small study was done at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of 30 patients who used scalp cooling to prevent hair loss during stem cell transplant so I know that it works for some people. Would like to hear from anyone who has used scalp cooling. Did it work? Was the process difficult? Would you do it again? Did your medical center offer support?
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First, forgive my ignorance. What is ASCT? Sometimes it's not a good idea to abbreviate words. Though I'm not familiar with scalp cooling, I am slightly familiar with hair loss. One thing I am eager to try is massaging my scalp with ginger oil to see if it can restore hair growth. I'll let you know if it works.
@garyr443 An ASCT is an autologous stem cell transplant. Autologous meaning the patient is using their own stem cells instead of donor stem cells in certain applications such as multiple myeloma (MM). The chemotherapy used for preconditioning can have an impact on hair follicles as well as other rapidly dividing cells. There is supportive evidence that the cooling caps and ice chips may offer protection to the hair follicles and oral mucosa.
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1 ReactionHi @tally9004 Cooling caps have been quite beneficial for cancer patients going through chemo along with having ice chips in the mouth during the infusion to ward off mouth sores. A friend of mine used a cooling cap with her breast cancer treatments and it really helped reduce the amount of her hair loss!
Here is a current discussion with other members on that very subject!
~ Anyone tried cooling systems with chemo to help prevent hair loss https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hair-lose-with-chemo/
Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with! Do you have any questions about the procedure, recovery, etc? Is there a target day for your ASCT?
@loribmt Thanks, Lori.