Meet Georgie, a breast cancer patient who discovered scalp cooling following conversations with her oncologist and other members of her medical team. Immediately after her diagnosis, the first thing Georgie asked was if she was going to lose her hair. 

When asked if her scalp cooling experience was as she had expected, Georgie says that her first time using a cold cap was “intense to say the least”. Even though the temperature of the cold cap would undoubtedly have been a shock to her system, Georgie says that she found it “quite mentally beneficial, as crazy as that may sound”. Focussing on the temperature of the cold cap provided Georgie with a valuable distraction from the chemotherapy drug that was about to be administered into her hand. 

Georgie goes on to say that after a few weeks of using an older version of the Paxman Scalp Cooling System, her chemotherapy suite received a brand-new cap, which she says, “was a tighter fit, almost as if it was made for me”. Georgie explains that she was the first on her oncology ward to use the new Paxman system and was active in encouraging others “to try scalp cooling for themselves”. As a result of being a scalp cooling advocate for other patients on her ward, Georgie had, “special friends and was proud to have helped inspire them to cold cap,” after seeing their hair retention. 

Often, when patients are going through chemotherapy treatment, many can feel the need to wear a head covering to maintain their identity. Georgie did not feel the need to do this for hair retention, but she did wear a head scarf during chemotherapy to prevent her hair from “tangling in the wind.” Georgie was very attentive when it came to following the advice and using the resources that Paxman have to offer. She says that she only washed her hair weekly, while having treatment and was careful of the products she used. 

In addition to her advice given above, Georgie’s’ main haircare tip for other cap users is to,” use a wide tooth shower comb” when brushing your hair. She reiterates her message to only use gentle hair products, (with no parabens, SLS or fragrance) as your hair can be vulnerable and fragile. 

When we asked Georgie how she feels about her scalp cooling experience, she explains that she is “so grateful to Paxman and for scalp cooling”. Georgie is open and honest in saying that she “struggled both mentally and physically.” As she went through chemotherapy treatment over Christmas, this meant that Georgie never put up a Christmas tree, missing out on a time of year that she loves “so dearly”. Drawing on the newfound confidence that she gained from using the Paxman system, Georgie and her husband went on to get married in December 2022, “where we had all the Christmas trees we missed out on.” Georgie had been very conscious of anyone touching her scalp, but she allowed her mum to style her hair for her wedding, where she felt “not only like myself, but like a bride”. 

When asked if she would recommend scalp cooling to others, Georgie reflects “I was so desperate to keep my hair, to keep part of what makes me feel like myself”. Scalp cooling was something that Georgie “immediately considered”, and she would encourage anyone going through chemotherapy, both men and women, to do the same. Above all, Georgie says that scalp cooling has enabled her to “look in the mirror and not see a cancer patient. I see… Me.”