Scalp cooling device prevents hair loss during chemotherapy

Inspiration for the invention
Glenn Paxman founded the company after his wife lost her hair while receiving treatment for breast cancer and he saw the distress it caused. He used his existing knowledge of beer cooling devices from another business to help build the first prototype with his brother, having discovered that reducing the temperature of the scalp before, during and after chemotherapy can alleviate hair loss. 

Now 98% of hospitals in the UK utilise Paxman’s system. They have 3,500 machines being used around the world in 46 countries. They have overtaken their no.1 competitor in the US within three years and their global turnover has increased from £1.9m in 2015 to £3.5 in 2018.

Of course users have been pleased with the results - but it’s not for vanity reasons that chemotherapy patients want to keep their hair, it’s that they want to stay in control. 

Louise's story
Louise Lyons MacLeod said: “The scalp cooling system allowed me to feel a bit more like myself so I could concentrate on dealing with all the other horrible things cancer was throwing at me. I could still be the same wife, daughter and mum. I could be confident rather than anxious. I’d managed to hide being sick, my mastectomy and my cannula from my 2-year-old - I couldn’t have hidden hair loss, and I was so worried she would be scared of me or not recognise me. I didn’t have to tackle any of that. I only lost 20-30% of my hair thanks to closely following the instructions with this system - and that gave me the strength to plough on with the chemo and feel less like a victim.”

Louise was 37 when she found out she had breast cancer. One of the nurses at her oncology centre told her about scalp cooling. Her consultant hadn’t mentioned it. 

Kathryn Daniel is Head of Marketing at Paxman Cooling Systems: “Hair loss is generally not a priority for health professionals. Their approach has been ‘it will grow back’ and they haven’t time to discuss it with their patient - and yet it is consistently ranked as one of the most feared side effects of chemotherapy. Addressing this - and the psychological wellbeing of the patient - can make a real difference.

"Hair loss is something that faces 20-40% of the 14 million cancer patients diagnosed every year. Preventing this means people can go to the shops and pick up their kids from school without questions. They want a degree of privacy and control over whom they tell about being ill. The Engine Room helped us distil that message and get it across in our new branding, design and business approach.”

“The difference between our product and other hair loss prevention systems on the market is the efficacy and comfort factor. Our caps only cool the scalp to between 18-22°C, which is warm spring day temperatures - we are not ‘freezing’ your head. Conveying this to patients and clinicians - along with simplifying the usage instructions have been breakthroughs. We are still learning how to make this work for everyone but currently 50% of hair is kept on average by the patients using the Paxman scalp cooling system. The continual improvements on results are driving us forward. Innovation is key to staying ahead of the game and continually improving those figures.”

Award-winning design
In 2015, having created a clinically proven cold cap system that was cost effective and producing great results, they approached The Engine Room to help refine their message and brand in order to expand globally.

Lesley Gulliver, Managing Director of The Engine Room: “Our most insightful finding was that chemotherapy patients want control in a typically out of control process. That design insight informed everything. The theme of the message had been about maintaining dignity - but we found that wasn’t why people chose to use scalp cooling. So altering the language to reflect what patients wanted was crucial to Paxman’s success.”

“The initial challenge was getting clinicians to take them seriously. Concerns about hair loss were seen as vanity and Paxman had the look and feel of a hair care brand. Scalp cooling was not seen as an intervention because there are no drugs involved. We had to change that mindset. It’s an important part of a patient’s journey if you consider their wellbeing as a whole. The product is also backed up by 20 years of scientific research. 

“Since their rebrand Paxman have adopted our design process through everything they do. Today you see them playing to an international stage, head and shoulders above the competition. Internally, the team has used the brand to drive change and have a really good vehicle to move forward.”

“Paxman were always a really authentic and lovely team with a great product. Design just facilitated everyone else understanding how great they are.”  

Design Effectiveness Awards
Paxman Cooling Systems won Silver at the Design Business Association Design Effectiveness Awards in June. Deborah Dawton, DBA’s Chief Executive: “This is a brilliant example of the huge value design adds, and the difference design makes. It truly demonstrates how design can have a huge impact not just on a product's commercial success, but in changing people’s lives.”

Design Business Association
The Design Business Association is the world's most vocal champion of the role of effective design in the creation of business growth. The most important way of communicating the value of design is by measuring its true effectiveness.

The annual DBA Design Effectiveness Awards are both prestigious and authoritative, covering the broad spectrum of the design industry by measuring entries against their own design brief metrics and not against each other.

By integrating business aims and objectives from the start of the partnership, you set the stage for a transparent and accountable relationship between client and designer that provides the best creative and commercial environment for success. Award-winning case studies serve to demonstrate the excellent value for money and return on investment that a coherent, well-thought-out and professionally executed design strategy can achieve.