Hundreds more cancer patients are being given access to a technique which helps tackle hair loss after two new scalp cooling machines were donated to two hospitals in the South East.
The machines at East Surrey Hospital and Crawley Hospital, in West Sussex, have doubled capacity in their chemotherapy units.
Scalp cooling works by lowering the temperature of the scalp during chemotherapy, helping patients retain more of their hair during treatment.
Chemotherapy patient Lara Smith from Reigate said “It has helped me maintain my sense of identity and meant I have been able to continue working for longer.”
According to Macmillan Cancer Support, while scalp cooling is a way of reducing or preventing hair loss from chemotherapy, after treatment is over, it can also help hair grow back faster. It is often called a cold cap or cool cap.
Smith, a current chemotherapy patient at East Surrey Hospital, said: “I have been using the cold cap alongside my treatment since April and still have all my hair.”
Another patient, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I was scared to try it as I thought it would be painful, but I would recommend it. Hair is a massive part of your identity.”
The new machines were funded by a donation of £22,000 to Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Charity’s cancer fund, given by an anonymous volunteer who had seen the difference scalp cooling can make to patients.
Crawley hospital has 300 cold cap uses each year while East Surrey Hospital has around 620 cold cap uses each year.
