How long you have to scalp cool for is dependent on the chemotherapy regimen you have been prescribed for treatment. There are three stages to scalp cooling – also known as ‘cooling times’ – which are outlined below: Stage 1: pre-infusion cooling This should last for 30 minutes before your chemotherapy infusion begins. For patients with thick hair, we recommend an additional 15 minutes of pre-infusion cooling – making it 45 minutes for stage 1. Stage 2: infusion cooling This cooling stage covers the duration of the infusion of alopecia-causing chemotherapy drugs, the time of which varies depending on your regimen. Stage 3: post- infusion cooling. The length of this stage is also dependent on your chemotherapy regimen, however for the majority of drugs, post-infusion cooling should last for 90 minutes. Your clinical time will advise you if your regimen dictates a shorter cooling time. Once all three stages have been completed, we recommend waiting 5-10 minutes to allow the cap to warm up slightly before removal.
Find out the cooling time for you regimen with the scalp cooling outcomes calculator, click here
