Simulation of Scalp Cooling by External Devices for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

In the 2016 study on scalp cooling to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia, numerical models were developed to assess the effectiveness of different external scalp cooling devices. The study determined that a cooling power of 38.5 W was necessary to lower the temperature of the hair follicle to 22 °C, which is considered therapeutic. However, actual devices need to exceed this power due to thermal losses. Two device designs, pre-cooled/frozen caps and liquid-cooled caps, were simulated, revealing that coolant temperature is a critical factor in achieving the desired scalp tissue temperature. Additionally, the thermal resistance of the hair/air layer significantly influenced tissue temperatures. The study suggests that these results should be compared with experimental data to optimize the model parameters for preventing hair loss during chemotherapy.