Cold cap

avery
avery Member Posts: 3
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

I have started chemo on August 9 and ever since being diagnosed stumbled across this site and found it to be wonderful for specific information. Now I have a question and so have signed up to ask... I've had two rounds of carboplatin and taxol and have used the cold cap for each. Up until round two hair loss was very minimal, almost hard for me to notice although I was being very careful. Ever since the second round though I've noticed more hair falling out in chunks to the point where there's noticeable spots on my head and I'm sticking to hats; there's hair in the drain in the shower. Would this be because the cold cap wasn't tight enough to my head, or is it just not working? I really don't want to lose my hair, is there any other way to try and prevent this? Thanks so much.

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  • mdg
    mdg Member Posts: 3,571
    edited September 2011

    Are you using Penguin Cold Caps?  If so are you washing hair with cold water and using chemical free type shampoo?  The thread on cold caps has tons of information.  I never washed my hair in the shower, I always washed with a small hand held sprayer or cup over the tub.  I did have lots of shedding but no bald spots - just overall thinner everywhere.  I did lose some hair around the temples and front hairline but not too much.  I am now 4 mo's post chemo and the hair there is about an inch long where it is growing back.  I continued to shed post chemo too.  My shedding was horrible a few weeks ago.  Of the hair I lost, most of it fell out post chemo - not during chemo.  I did shed during chemo too but it was definately worse after for me.  What I have realized from reading the very long cold cap thread is that each person seems to be different.  Most people did not shed for 4 months post chemo like I did but some lost more hair overall than I did.  I still have a full head of hair.  Good luck!  Read some of the cold cap thread if you can...there is so much info in there!

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