As a charity, we rely on voluntary contributions to provide this information. Scalp cooling is a method of reducing the loss of hair from the head, caused by some chemotherapy drugs.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells.
Each hair on our bodies grows out of a hair follicle. Small blood vessels in the scalp supply the cells of the hair follicles with food and oxygen and carry away waste products. Any chemotherapy drugs in the bloodstream will also be carried to the hair follicles. When blood vessels in the scalp are cooled they become smaller, and so less blood flows through them. Less chemotherapy reaches the hair follicles, and so the hair is less likely to fall out.