There are many factors to consider when deciding whether to use DigniCap. Answering these questions may help with your decision:

• Is keeping my hair during treatment important to me?
• The post-cooling time requires patients to sit for several hours. Is there any reason this would be difficult for me?
• How will longer days at the infusion center impact me?
• Can I follow the hair care recommendations for patients using cold caps?

Hair care tips

Even with a cold cap, you will most likely experience some hair shedding or thinning because your hair follicles will be weakened by the chemotherapy. To minimize hair loss during chemotherapy, be as gentle as possible with your hair during your course of treatment and for about two to three months after completing the last cycle of chemotherapy. The following recommendations can help protect your hair:

• Wash your hair only once a week or less and use lukewarm water. Avoid hot water. Shampoo less often if your hair feels dry.
• Use only sulfate-, silicone- and paraben-free shampoos. (If you have dyed or overprocessed hair, continue using your usual products.)
• Avoid hair-styling products, such as gels and creams.
• Refrain from dyeing, heat-styling and blow-drying your hair.
• Limit combing to once a day day and use a wide tooth comb. Comb your hair before washing to remove any excess loose hairs and prevent tangling afterward.
• Don’t put your hair in tight ponytails or buns. Scrunchies that let you tie your hair back loosely are preferable to rubber bands.
• Avoid hair extensions (including sew-ins, weaves, lace front wigs, braids and crochets). They can stress your hair and worsen shedding or block scalp contact with the cold cap.
• Braids, cornrows, plaits, and twists should be done loosely and in sections as thin as possible to avoid pulling on the hair and causing more shedding. Thick braids/plaits may prevent optimal contact between the cap and the scalp.
• If you have textured hair that you wear naturally, thermally straighten your hair before treatment and apply hair grease only to the ends before lightly wetting the scalp. Small twists or braids (without extensions) are permissible.
• If you have textured hair that’s chemically straightened, proceed as normal with wetting the scalp. Small twists or braids (without extensions) are permissible.
• Avoid touching your hair, which can jostle the roots, and limit contact with rough materials. To protect it at night, use pillowcases made of soft, low-friction materials such as satin or silk.
• If you want to wear a hair covering, look for hats that are loose and light-weight. Avoid swimming caps and wigs; they can be too tight or too heavy and pull on your hair.

More hair care tips are available on the DigniCap website.

The cap will go on for a “pre-cooling” period, which prepares your scalp for chemotherapy. It stays on after your infusion for a “post-cooling” period. Because chemotherapy drug levels peak in your system immediately after you complete an infusion, continued constriction of blood flow to your scalp for a few hours after treatment is the best way to protect your hair follicles. The length of the post-cooling period depends on the type of chemotherapy you’re getting and may include the time you’re receiving medications that don’t cause hair loss.

• The cap is connected to a machine that circulates coolant throughout the cap. The cap’s outer layer is made of synthetic rubber (neoprene).
• Approx. Temperature: 3° C (37° F), just above freezing
• NCS staff will set up your cold cap for you. You can disconnect from the machine for stretches of up to six minutes if you need to take breaks.
• Pre-cooling time: 30 minutes (done simultaneously with pre-medication administration)
• Post-cooling time: 2 to 3 hours, but depends on your treatment regimen.

Common side effects include:

• Feeling chilled
• Mild to moderate headaches
• Scalp pain (similar to a brain freeze)

Low doses of an over-the-counter pain medication, such as Tylenol or Advil, can limit these symptoms. For best results, take it 30 minutes before the cold cap goes on your head. If you don’t bring pain medication to your appointment, feel free to ask the infusion nurse for it.

If bare skin is in direct contact with the cold cap, it can cause skin darkening and blisters. These gradually go away on their own. Protecting your bare skin can prevent this, and we will provide headbands or other shields for your skin, based on the device you use.

Different patients have different reasons for considering cold caps, such as:

• They want to keep their diagnosis private.
• They hope that minimizing hair loss will make coping with their cancer diagnosis easier for their young children or other family members.
• They feel that maintaining an element of control or a part of their identity can bolster their mental wellness during treatment.