Woman who battled 12 rounds of chemotherapy credits an ice cap for helping her ...

A scalp-cooling treatment helped a cancer sufferer keep her hair - and identity - while she battled chemotherapy.

Amanda White, 37, of Didsbury, Manchester, found a lump in her breast in January 2017 while training to trek to Everest Base Camp. 

Ms White - who was head of rail at Transport for Greater Manchester - visited a walk-in GP centre on her lunch break and was later diagnosed with cancer. 

While she endured 12 rounds of chemo over 18 weeks - as well as surgery and three weeks of radiotherapy - Ms White wore the PAXMAN Scalp Cooling System cap.

The cap lowers the head's temperature, which reduces the blood supply to the hair follicles, making them less able to take-up chemotherapy toxins. 

Now in remission, Ms White credits the cap for helping her avoid the 'cancer label' and giving her the confidence to continue living her life while she fought the disease. 

Amanda White kept her hair while battling cancer due to a scalp-cooling cap. Pictured while in remission, Ms White credits the technology for helping her maintain her confidence and avoid the 'cancer label' while she battled triple-negative breast cancer in 2017

Amanda White kept her hair while battling cancer due to a scalp-cooling cap. Pictured while in remission, Ms White credits the technology for helping her maintain her confidence and avoid the 'cancer label' while she battled triple-negative breast cancer in 2017

Ms White is pictured wearing the PAXMAN Scalp Cooling System cap while she had 12 rounds of chemo over 18 weeks. The technology lowers the temperature of the head, which reduces the blood supply to the hair follicles, making them less able to take-up chemotherapy toxins.

Ms White is pictured wearing the PAXMAN Scalp Cooling System cap while she had 12 rounds of chemo over 18 weeks. The technology lowers the temperature of the head, which reduces the blood supply to the hair follicles, making them less able to take-up chemotherapy toxins.

Speaking of the technology, Ms White said: 'The scalp-cooling cap allowed me to feel more like myself during a difficult time.

'Cancer can keep you from leaving the house, it affects your self confidence and you avoid looking people in the eye. It feels like everyone knows you have cancer.

'Although you might feel terrible on the inside, by keeping your hair you can look and feel better on the outside, you are not carrying the cancer label with you.

'The treatment can take so much away from you, your ability to work and socialise etc, but by being able to keep my hair, cancer didn't take away my identity.'

WHAT IS AN ICE CAP? AND HOW DOES IT PREVENT HAIR LOSS DURING CHEMO?

Chemotherapy works by targeting all rapidly-dividing cells in the body. 

Hair is the second fastest dividing cell, which is why many chemo drugs cause alopecia. 

The treatment attacks hair follicles during their growth phase, resulting in hair loss around two weeks after chemotherapy starts.

The damage chemo causes to hair follicles can be alleviated by using scalp cooling, also known as the 'ice cap'. 

The cap reduces the temperature of the scalp by a few degrees immediately before, during and after the administration of chemotherapy. 

This lowers the blood flow to hair follicles, which helps prevent the chemo toxins

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