A campaigner for prostate cancer is using a pioneering treatment to help keep his hair during chemotherapy.  

Founder of the Red Sock Campaign, Keith Cass, has been raising awareness of prostate cancer for over a decade to support men and their families living with the disease.

Now he is using the Paxman Scalp Cooler as part of his treatment at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff to help retain his hair.

“My family have always had a good head of hair even into their 80’s - my silver hair says so much about who I am and I just don’t want to lose it.” Cass said.

“When someone describes me, they will automatically describe my hair. That’s why I want to keep it, as much as I can! Scalp cooling also helps divert some of my attention from the chemotherapy and gives me something else to focus on.”

Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy and can result in a lack of confidence for men and women undergoing treatment. Scalp cooling works by lowering scalp temperature before, during and after chemotherapy, ensuring the scalp remains at an even temperature to minimise hair loss.

The Red Sock Campaign was set up by Cass in 2007 to help men understand the risk and benefits of being treated for prostate cancer. For his efforts, Cass was awarded a MBE in 2013 for supporting those affected by the disease. Prostate cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer and every year, over 35,000 men are diagnosed with the disease.

Stuart Rowling, sales and training executive at Paxman, explains the company are noticing an increase in the number of men who are choosing to use scalp cooling.

“Hair loss is such as a personal thing and people, whether they are a man or a woman, will have strong reasons to why they want to keep their hair. We are noticing an increase in male scalp cooling and that’s why it is so important to raise awareness of the treatment, so men everywhere know it’s available to them.” Rowling said.