“This Is What My Friends And Family Did For Hours Every Chemo Day…”

With chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer, one of the most depressing parts, especially for women, is losing one’s hair. Jenny Maenpaa is here to tell everyone that you can keep your hair during chemo. She admits that it is a lot of work, but the result is amazing.

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Most people with cancer hear the same thing from everyone. “It’s just hair, it will grow back.” Sometimes friends suggest shaving it off, and many friends get sympathetic shaves, so the patient is not alone. I have shaved my head at least once yearly since 2009 in support of women with hair loss, regardless of the cause. While not going through hair loss alone is fantastic, keeping your hair through chemo is even better.

Jenny had friends and family who helped her with the cold treatments before each of her chemo treatments. There are videos on her TikTok page, including step-by-step instructions on how Jenny keeps her hair through chemo. The process begins by “freezing” her scalp for at least 30 minutes before putting on the cap. This is necessary to ensure her scalp is cold enough when chemo starts.

The Paxman System Jenny uses is an automated cooling system. A cap is attached to a circulation machine, moving refrigerated liquid through the cap. The DigniCap System and the Paxman System require a computerized circulation machine. They are available at some treatment centers, but not all. Jenny explains ways to apply for financial assistance for these more expensive scalp cooling systems.

There are less expensive, manual cooling cap systems available. While they require more work and help from others, they can be just as effective as the automated systems.

To learn more about keeping your hair through chemo, follow Jenny on TikTok and Instagram.

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*Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that manual cooling cap systems are less effective than automated systems. Manual cooling cap systems are not less effective — rather, they are more labor-intensive, and as such, require more assistance. This article has been corrected.