“Any attempts to reduce hair loss are welcome and I feel that scalp cooling has an important place for some patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments. The use of the Paxman Hair Loss Prevention System allows a much more constant temperature to be achieved than hitherto possible. Scalp temperature measurements confirm achievement of a constant temperature.

Patient acceptability is high, the system is easily portable and does not require the use of large cooling cupboards or fridges – a great advantage when the chemotherapy clinic is busy.”

J Richard C Sainsbury MD, FRCS Consultant Surgeon.

“Based on existing documentation and my own, as well as experience from a number of renowned cancer centres, I consider the Paxman Scalp Cooling system a safe, effective and convenient way to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia, in the curative, as well as in the palliative setting.”

Ole Kristian D Anderson, MD Oncology Consultant, SiVOnkologi, Tonsberg Norway

“We find the Paxman system very easy to use and it takes up little nursing time.  The majority of patients find it comfortable, not too cold, lightweight, and feel it is very worthwhile.”

Suzanne Goulding, Breast Care Nurse, Cookridge Hospital, Leeds

“A brief note to thank you for your excellent service in providing scalp cooling for my patients.

The very significant majority of patients who request your service has been most satisfactory and I continue to be grateful.

With kind regards and best wishes.”

Yours sincerely,

Dr. D Spooner, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, The Priory Hospital, Birmingham

Picture1 - Pre chemo, Picture 2 - Post chemo, Picture 3 - 1st hair cut (6weeks post chemo)

“For me hair loss is the only sign of being a breast cancer patient.  As I’d had my cancer lump removed with breast conserving surgery, my chemo was purely preventative and I was no longer a cancer sufferer. 

At the start of my treatment plan, I didn’t want the chemo – no one does – but if I was going to have it, it would be on my terms – you have limited choices about your surgery, chemo, radiotherapy etc but you can try to control the visible signs. I didn’t want to lose my hair and show the world I had had cancer.  Seeing a friend or family member with no hair would be shocking to me. I didn’t want them (and me) to see me like that.

I wasn’t aware of the Paxman cooler until I went to a presentation at The Haven Leeds. The timing of the session with Claire was perfect – the day before the appointment with the oncologist to learn about and plan my chemo.  I believe that the timing was perfect and meant to be.

The Paxman Cooler is easy to use – I operated it myself for each of my 6 chemo sessions, with a bit of help to make sure the cap was fitted properly. When you turn the pump on you get the initial “oooo, oooo, oooo” of cold circulating which to be honest is freezing – but not as cold as a gel cap from the freezer which is usually offered.  Once the first 10 minutes were over, I hardly noticed it and in that time your chemo nurse is giving you steroids/ anti-sickness/ asking you how you’re coping and sleeping etc. The final cooling times can be tough – particularly if you have 2 hours like me – but it depends how much you want to keep your hair. I occupied myself with books and films and the time went quickly.

Some of your hair will fall out. You have to be prepared for it. The first time it happened to me it was a shock to see dark, thick hairs in the shower tray. Some people may think at this point its not worked – bear with it and don’t panic. I continued to treat my hair gently and with respect, and I estimate I lost c.20-25% of my hair in total.

My key piece of advice is that you have to believe in the treatment. If you think it won’t work, chances are it won’t. But I really believed in the cooler – I wanted it to work with a passion, and it did.  Some people just can’t cope with the cold as well as the chemo infusion but it is worth serious consideration before you start your treatment.

Shortly after my last chemo, I didn’t look like me which was hard to deal with. Although I had my hair, it was different style to before given I hadn’t had it cut for 5 months, I look tired, had gained weight and lost the majority of my eyebrows and eyelashes. On a positive note, I am a different person physically and mentally– what a cliché but it is true.  I spent chemo thinking once it’s over I can get back to being the old me. But now I don’t think that – I don’t want to be the old me – the old me got sick. This is a new me and having hair to re-style has been great fun. I can be anyone straight away without having to wait for 12 months or so for my hair to grow back. 

The cooler was so successful; my hairdresser said my hair has never been in such good condition. I put this down to a combination of an organic diet, using organic hair products, no straightners, all complementing using the Paxman cooler.  My hair had actually grown 2-3 inches in 4 months over the course of the chemo.

Friends, including fellow cancer patients, have recently said to me that they didn’t think it would be so effective. The proof is in the photos below.  My advice would be to try it – what’s the worse that can happen -  your hair may still fall out or it might just work as well for you as it did for me.

I am eternally grateful for the Paxman cooler, which made my cancer journey just a little bit more bearable. I am passionate that all cancer patients should have information to make choices about hair loss, and that my experience should benefit others and that’s why I support the CHWH campaign.”

Michelle Wardley

“Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer was a huge blow for me as a woman but the thought of losing my hair was just as bad a blow to me.

I met up with my consultant and nurse who came up with the idea of trying out the cooling cap.  Cooling Cap, what was the Cooling Cap?  What was this going to do for me?  My nurse explained the Cooling Cap to me and I thought I must give this new state of the art technology a try.  I had nothing to lose.  I would have tried anything to prevent the loss of my hair.  The Cooling Cap is like putting a bicycle helmet on your head.  Yes, it’s minus five and it’s very cold, in fact, it’s freezing but once its on you forget about it.

The Cooling Cap is used 30-45 minutes before your treatment and after your treatment is finished the cooling cap stays on for up to 1 – 2.5 hours depending on the treatment you’re receiving.

After 8 treatments of chemo and using the cooling cap, my hair has thinned slightly but nothing that was noticeable.  The Cooling Cap was a saviour for me and I would recommend it to anyone diagnosed with Breast Cancer/Cancer wanting to prevent the loss of their hair.

What I got from the cooling cap

• Prevented the loss of my hair
• My  confidence within myself was high
• I stayed strong and positive about my treatment/chemo and having my hair helped my strength and positivity
• Most of all I never told my 9 year old son about my breast cancer and with the cooling cap preventing the loss of my hair was a saviour to my son.

I was the first patient to use the cooling cap in Spire Murrayfield, Edinburgh and would like to recommend it to all future patients.”

J. Aitchison

“To be diagnosed with breast cancer within two weeks of my dear husband Jim’s death was devastating, as no doubt one would agree.  The prospect of losing my hair during chemotherapy was something I just didn’t relish at all.

When my oncologist informed me about the “cooling cap” which I could use while being treated I was really interested. The only snag was that I couldn’t have treatment in my local hospital oncology unit.

I checked out the Paxman web site for all the information on the system and heard about others who had used the cooling cap with good effect, so was excited about the fact that I wouldn’t lose my hair while having “chemo”.

The first time I used the Paxman cooling cap was something of a shock but after about 20 minutes I became used to it. The initial headache was off putting at first, but I overcame that by using a product for migraine which one rolls across the temples, with good effect and could use it throughout the treatment as needed.

I was delighted when after my first treatment I had no hair loss. However one week after my second  chemotherapy treatment I developed  septicaemia and experienced some hair loss and thinning on the crown of my head. Treatment was suspended while I recovered from the  septicaemia and my hair began to recover, so when I resumed chemotherapy I was concerned that my hair would fall out again.

I need not have worried at all, in fact my hair continued to grow to almost a full head of hair by the time I finished treatment.

Now two months after treatment my hair is back to being my crowning glory.

I was so pleased with the result after my first treatment with the Paxman cap, that I suggested to my county Federation of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association that we fund raise for the purchase of a cooling cap system for the local hospital unit. Delighted to say that the system was delivered to the hospital last week.”

Mildred Keyes,

Ireland

“The idea of sitting with my scalp chilled to minus two degrees for several hours at a time was pretty daunting before I tried it, but I didn’t find it a problem at all – I very quickly got used to the cold and barely noticed it for the rest of the session. As a result, I even managed to persevere with using the cap through my treatment with Taxol, which took three hours to infuse and involved wearing the cap for five hours. 

“I wanted to say how grateful I am to have had access to a Paxman Scalp Cooling system during my chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden -  it’s a brilliant invention and has made such a massive difference to my experience of being a cancer patient. I know the last few months would have been a lot tougher if I’d been bald, but I’ve retained my hair and, as a result, my privacy – nobody knows  I’ve been ill unless I choose to tell them.”

“I received chemotherapy at North Tees Hospital, Stockton and have now completed my chemotherapy regime. I had 6 sessions of EC chemo at 3 weekly intervals for treatment of stage 2 bi lateral breast cancer.

I have been using your cooling cap system since my first treatment and although a little sceptical at first I am absolutely delighted with the results. It has now been three weeks since the last treatment and having my hair means, for me, that I can move on from the illness quicker.

I have experienced some visible thinning around the crown area, but it is nothing to how I should look by now and am mostly unaware of it. I don’t feel the need to cover up when I go out and am unaware of anyone even noticing it unless I point out how good the results are so far.

At first the hair care appeared to be rather involved and would be time consuming, but the exact opposite is true. The pH balanced shampoo has actually improved my hair condition and I will probably continue to use it. I have straightened my hair on some occasions for special nights out, but as I used to use straighteners daily it hasn’t had a detrimental effect. Also sleeping on a silk pillow case has, I feel, offered the most protection as the back and sides of my hair have remained intact with no visible effect. All in all I would say my hair is in better condition than when I started chemotherapy (although it’s not a recommended hair care course)

Every day with hair is a bonus – even with the thinning I am eternally grateful that I have had more hair than I ever dared dream of.

I actively encourage anyone else considering using the system to do so. It DOES work, helps maintain self esteem and allows the illness to take a back seat sometimes as there is no visible constant reminder.

Now at the end of the treatment I am able to put the whole episode back in the box and walk back into my usual life picking up where I left off.

With heartfelt thanks and gratitude.”

Gill Ridden

“I was diagnosed with stage 1c clear cell ovarian cancer.  I had a radical hysterectomy and six 3 weekly courses of pacilitaxol/carboplatin.

Nobody gave any hope of saving my hair however I requested to try it at the Oncology Unit.

To be honest the nurse didn’t really educate me on care etc so I investigated this myself and as the weeks went on and I still had hair(which they couldn’t believe) I was very encouraged.

My hair has thinned slightly but nobody notices and it’s actually starting to grow back around my hair line and I only finished my treatment this week!

I would advise anybody to try the Paxman; it’s not that bad to wear, take a few paracetamol and you’re fine…..believe me I hate pain and I tolerated it.

If you follow the Paxman do’s and dont’s you stand a great chance of saving your hair.

I didn’t get my hair cut as advised as I reckoned I would just wait and see..clipping it up and washing weekly did it for me.

I do believe that saving my hair has speeded up my recovery both mentally and physically.

I’M DELIGHTED”

Regards
Geraldine

“The absolute worst part of cancer treatment for me was the thought of losing my hair.  When the oncologist suggested trying the scalp cooling cap I agreed immediately.  I am so glad I did.  I had my final chemotherapy session last week and still have a full head of shoulder-length blonde hair.  In addition, my hair actually grew two inches, appears thick and glossy and is in far better condition than when I started!  I was very gentle with my hair during treatment and did adhere to the tips provided such as using PH neutral shampoo, not using any hair products, sleeping on a silk pillowcase and not using the hair drier, straighteners or heated rollers.

Not losing my hair has made a vast difference to my recovery.  I think that because I did not look ill, I didn’t feel so ill and have remained positive throughout.  I cannot praise the Paxman scalp cooling cap enough and would definitely recommend it to anyone who would prefer to keep their hair during chemotherapy treatment.”

Kind regards

Paula from Suffolk

March 2010

“I underwent chemotherapy during the first 5 months of this year after a lumpectomy for breast cancer.

I am at last writing to you to praise the scalp cooler machine that The Chiltern Hospital, Great Missenden had installed a short time before my treatment.

I followed your instructions to the letter and would suggest I lost no more hair than normal. Consequently I felt more able to cope with other effects of the treatment; having kept my hair was a great psychological boost.

I am attaching a photograph taken just after my 6th and final session of chemotherapy at the beginning of May.

Thank you to your technicians for the development of such a successful piece of equipment.

Yours sincerely,

Liz Wyatt”

“I have finished chemotherapy at the Western Infirmary. Everything has gone well and I still have a fantastic head of hair. My hair was thinning, however I still managed to keep a fair amount, so much so that I never at anytime looked as if I was having chemo. That was an enormous boost. I’ve since had my hair cut and coloured and it looks great (if I say so myself)! I am tremendously grateful to you for all your advice regarding the cool caps.”

M.B. Scotland.

“I recently had to undergo chemotherapy at Dewsbury District Hospital . I was devastated to hear I would lose all my hair as a result but could try the scalp cooler machine manufactured by your company to minimise the loss.

I am pleased to say that it worked, I lost a slight amount of hair, but no one noticed.

I would like to thank all concerned in the inventing and producing of this machine. It made such a difference to my recovery. I tell everyone how amazing this is, they can’t believe it.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, it meant such a lot to me not to lose my hair. It is now as good as new.

Many thanks.”

Angela Bates.

“Last year I had chemotherapy with the drug taxol at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Thanks to the use of the Paxman head cooler, I lost hardly a hair from my head – something for which I will be eternally grateful as years before, without the benefit of the cooler, I had suffered complete hair loss with taxol.”

All good wishes,

Anon, Midlands.

“It is bad enough dealing with cancer let alone lose your hair. My mother is undergoing chemotherapy and she was so worried about losing her hair. I think that it is the worse part of chemo. Luckily where my mother has chemotherapy she was offered to go on a trial for using a cap to stop her losing her hair. It was called a Paxman Cooling Cap and you wear it before the chemo and after and the results are fantastic, she is nearly finished 6 months of chemo and has lost very little hair. She was the 4th person to use the cap in Australia and now there are about 36 women on the trial it is great.

I don’t think she would have managed if she lost her hair. So ask your oncologist it is never too late to try it as it generated the growth of new hair.”

JB, Australia.

“l have just received my 5th chemo session in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and have used your Paxman cooler machine during each session and can only say how pleased l am that l have been able to keep all of my thick brown hair.

This has been so important to me as l was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and l did lose all of my hair then. As l am a self-employed shop owner and l am in the public eye constantly, then it was very difficult for me to lose all of my hair, as people do have a tendency to say silly comments to you, as l did not wear a wig.

So this year when l was diagnosed for a second time in March it was a great relief to find out l could use your machine and that l could possibly keep my hair. Its been wonderful and l have been able to feel very much more normal !! and as l live in the Orkney Isles it can be particularly cold and windy up here so its always good to have hair!

l can only say a big thank you to you for inventing such a wonderful machine.”

Yours faithfully

Judith Glue

“When i discovered i had breast cancer in June of last year my biggest fear was that i would lose my hair. I know that sounds vain but it was the one thing that makes your illness so apparent to everyone and i wanted my life,& that of my husband and children to go on as normal.

We researched cold capping on the internet and found the Paxman Cool Capping system, i contacted yourself and i found you to be extremely helpful and understanding. On my first chemo session Paxman came to the Bristol Oncology Centre to explain the simple procedure to my husband as he would be the person to operate it. Cold capping is slightly painful for the first 10 minutes or so. It made me feel light headed if i moved my head too much but other than that it was fine. The results were worth the little bit of discomfort.

I had epirubicin (90mgs) then CMF. As the dosage of epirubicin was quite high the chances of saving my hair was only about 65% but i am glad to say apart from some thinning i kept most of my hair. My neighbours didn’t have any idea that i was undergoing any treatment until i told them at the end of my chemo.

Cold capping enabled me to lead a completely normal life. I kept my self esteem and dignity. My illness would have been 100% more difficult for me if i had not used the system. I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to go out as much and my life would have taken longer to get back to normal.

I finished my chemo on the 1st February 2006 and i cannot stress strongly enough how i feel that all women who want to try to retain their hair should be given the opportunity. I was able to have my hair cut once during treatment and i continued to colour it with a natural hair dye.”

Yours sincerely

Debbie Wolfe

“I sit here with my hair now longer than ever and actually in far better condition than it’s been in for decades! I feel like a human being, a woman, and my wonderful friends and family say I look great and throughout my chemo I ‘got out there’ and amazed my clients.

To Mr Paxman and his dear wife I send a million thank you’s.”

Isobel Heaton

“I chose the Paxman system which I used religiously throughout a 9 month period, once every 3 weeks, and not only did I not suffer from hair loss, but visited my hairdresser on 6 occasions – the last one during which I was complimented on the thickness and appearance of my hair!  At first, some discomfort was experienced due to the cold temperature but with patience and determination this was soon accommodated.  Provision of the cooler was part of a BUPA Homecare package and it made what could have been a very difficult journey for me much, much easier.”

Ian Cooper

“I started my treatment for prostate cancer last year and completed a 6 month course of Docetaxel in December 2010 at St James Hospital in Leeds.  I was offered the use of the cold cap, but had never heard of this treatment.  The nursing staff were supportive and said that I might as well give it a go.  Faced with the prospect of losing my hair and “advertising” the fact I’d got cancer to everyone, I decided to try it out.  I wanted to be able to choose that it was just my family and friends who knew about my treatment, keep my self esteem and keep my appearance the same, even though I was to undergo chemotherapy.

“The first few minutes of the treatment are a shock to the system – it’s like diving into a pool of cold water.  However it was something I soon acclimatised to and within about 5-10 minutes the initial feeling of discomfort settled down.  Be prepared for that and be patient with the knowledge that it is worthwhile.

“I’m so glad that I decided on the use of the hair loss prevention system – I kept my hair and was able to walk into my local pub without standing out from the crowd and being given the sympathy vote.  It helped with my recovery and gave me a big boost to be able to carry on as “normal”.

“I’ve now just embarked on a 2nd round of treatment and am again using the cold cap to retain my hair.  In terms of use of the system, now I know what to expect it makes the treatment easier and so far, the cold cap has again been successful and is again making a big difference to me personally so I can just get on with my life.”

Colin Thorpe