October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and with that a multitude of important news stories related to treatment, therapy and medical advances.
Below is the WE Magazine for Women Quality of Life Advances that can significantly alter cancer patients experiences during treatment and beyond, organizations that need our support and more.
Multiple ways for breast cancer patients to avoid hair loss:
You’re probably aware that the biggest news out of ASCO this year was that a significant number of women with early stage breast cancer may be able to forgo chemotherapy treatments, thereby “shedding” all negative side effects of the harsh treatment, including, yes, hair loss.
While medical professionals digest this information, patients who do have to face chemo should also be advised that chemo-induced hair loss is not inevitable for them either thanks to scalp cooling – including both FDA-cleared systems and manual cold caps. FDA-cleared systems include the DigniCap Scalp Cooling System , which was the first system to receive clearance to treat breast and solid tumor cancer patients, and the Paxman System.
Organizations to donate to where your money goes straight to patients in need:
Because scalp cooling is relatively new to the U.S. and not yet universally covered by insurance, organizations HairToStay , the Hope for Hair Foundation and the Rapunzel Project provide direct subsidies to patients to help ease the cost of scalp cooling treatments.
Gifts to buy for current breast cancer patients:
A heated blanket: Scalp cooling systems and cold caps are cold – if a loved one is going through treatments to keep their hair, buying them a heated blanket will go a long way.
The right haircare products: Patients undergoing scalp cooling need to baby their hair, avoiding heated styling and harsh chemicals . Caregivers should consider gifting them sulfate-free and paraben-free shampoo and conditioner.
