Argentine cancer survivor features cost-effective cooling chemo caps to help cancer people preserve their hair

Immediately after medical professionals identified Paula Estrada with breast cancer in 2009, the then 41-yr-outdated Argentine decided she would not only beat the disorder, but would do so without shedding her long blonde hair to the ravages of chemotherapy.

At her property in Buenos Aires, Estrada, a graphic designer by career, established about developing a makeshift cooling cap out of ice packs to continue to keep her scalp chilly - and ward off hair decline.

It labored, and "no person realized that I was going through chemotherapy," mentioned Estrada, now 54.

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Scalp cooling, a way to constrict blood vessels and continue to keep chemotherapy medication from achieving hair follicles, has existed in some sort for many years. The Paxman Scalp Cooling cap, for instance, was launched in Britain in 1997 and acquired U.S. Food and drug administration acceptance in 2017.

Paula Estrada displays off her cooling cap that helped her maintain her hair although she was likely as a result of chemo therapy, and is now helping some others do the identical by supplying the caps for only $2. (REUTERS/Matias Baglietto)

But in 2009, cooling caps ended up an unknown in Argentina, Estrada said.

"When I completed, I claimed 'I'm not likely to maintain this for myself, I want anyone to have this as a risk," she recalled.

Estrada's 'Quimo con pelo' cap can be created with gels that expense as minor as $2 - a lifesaver in a country experiencing economic struggles and in which substitute cooling caps can price tag $100 a session.

On social media, people in Argentina and close to the world share guidance on how to make the caps and donate them when they're concluded.

The caps must be utilized commencing with the first chemo session, saved at -4 levels Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius), and improved each individual 30 minutes.

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"It truly is well worth it," said Mariangeles Fernandez, a 48-calendar year-outdated liver most cancers affected person. "It lets you fight the condition in a unique way."

Estrada, who is now writing a e book about her practical experience, states she hears from patients each working day whose cancer journeys have been improved by the caps.

"I imagine the (cap) has been the key to my point out of thoughts," stated Elsa Ram, a 64-yr-previous retiree with breast most cancers. "This is a significant component of a great remedy."