Cancer and Hair Loss: Innovation to Improve Psychological Health

An innovative medical device hair application in cases of chemotherapy-related alopecia,

It improves the quality of life and psychological well-being of cancer patients.

Chemotherapy-related alopecia, chemotherapy treatments

It affects more than 65% of cancer patients.

Salute Donna Onlus and the National Cancer Institute of Milan presented the first pilot study to evaluate the aesthetic and psychological impact experienced by patients with breast cancer and chemotherapy-induced Alopecia, stating that the new CNC* Medical Device Hair System had a ten-point difference compared to traditional wigs.

*An Italian innovative medical device developed by CRLab, handmade with a 39-step process, that can improve the daily and social life of patients with chemotherapy-induced Alopecia.

Rome 10 July 2020- Thanks to the use of an innovative medical device hair system instead of a traditional wig, an overall improvement in perceived freshness and body image has been observed over time. It is an important turning point for women affected by chemotherapy-induced alopecia, who have to deal not only with tumor pathology but also with the severe psychological and social effects of hair loss, in not seeing themselves as sick and feeling "like before".

A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the psychological effect of the 100% Italian CNC medical device hair application developed by CRLab-Cesare Ragazzi Laboratories on breast cancer and chemotherapy-induced Alopecia patients. Very positive results emerged from this pilot study, supported by the National Cancer Institute of Milan and Salute Donna Onlus.

“Salute Donna has always been committed to supporting women with cancer who are looking for the best solutions to improve their quality of life,” said Annamaria Mancuso, President of Salute Donna Onlus. We had heard from several patients about a new type of help for hair loss, but CRLap got ahead of us and contacted us. We were invited to the factory in Bologna, where the complex production process of the CNC medical device sheet metal system is carried out. We quickly realized that this was a real innovation: We talked to the National Cancer Institute about the importance of carrying out an ordered study of women with recurrent breast cancer and a second round of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. The results are very good. This system can help both women and men and young people affected by cancer. The next step will be to talk to regional decision-makers to ensure equitable access to this system. ”The National Cancer Institute of Milan has always been committed to scientific research to provide cancer patients not only with the best facilities, cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions, but also with global care aimed at improving the health and quality of life of cancer patients.

“We have never lacked attention to the person, the patient in the center of attention is not a figure of speech, but, as always, a reality,” said Marco Votta, President of the IRCCS Foundation, National Cancer Institute, Milan, at the National Cancer Institute. Ours is a success story in a balanced mix of science and technology, as well as in the humanization of care, as produced by oncology giants such as Gianni Buonadonna and Umberto Veronesi, who continue their activities at the Institute. The choice to participate in this study should be interpreted in this light: Cancer imposes major changes in personal life, choices, efforts, including constant confrontation with the disease. For this reason, it is inevitable that personal and aesthetic perception may be lost, which leads to a decrease in self-esteem and psychological balance. We have been organizing make-up sessions at the Institute for years, last year there was also a fashion show with headscarves, and today we are participating in a pilot study regarding medical hair devices. “The goal is to help our patients find the desire to be women again and gain security and stability in daily life and work.”

CNC Hair system is a medical device, it is a highly customized hair application made in Italy and using human, virgin untreated hair, individually placed on thin biocompatible polymer membrane patent. Completely handmade, the production process involves 39 phases and the entire process is certified according to ISO 9001:2008 Standards.

“After using the medical device hair app, very few patients asked us to do more for other women undergoing oncological treatment,” said Stefano Ospitalli, CEO of CRLab. From this came the idea of ​​doing structured research, and we realized that we could help people who were suffering. Being able to alleviate this pain, even partially, is a good and important thing for a company from a social responsibility perspective. Now we want to make this device accessible to a larger number of people. The study showed very encouraging results, it is worth making this solution as accessible as possible.”

The CNC medical device hair system is unique in its features: it is resistant, high-performance and has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and hypo-allergenic properties.

The degree of satisfaction with the work is high; both tradition