A FIRM providing equipment to help prevent hair loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy has launched an awareness campaign.

Paxman Coolers has devised the “Cool head, warm heart” campaign after a survey showed that four out of five people did not know anything about “cold caps”.

The Fenay Bridge company said that while 95% of people polled were aware that chemotherapy treatment can cause hair loss, some 82% did not know what cold caps were.

The campaign aims to raise the profile of scalp cooling – or cold cap treatment – and to make everyone in the UK aware that it is available in NHS and private hospitals if requested by patients, nurses or doctors.

The campaign logo features “Susie” – a cartoon character whose head is covered in a mass of flowers.

The company said several hospitals in Yorkshire did offer the treatment, but many patients were unaware of this.

Scalp cooling is a treatment that can reduce or prevent hair loss in patients undergoing certain types of chemotherapy. It does so by lowering scalp temperature and restricting the amount of chemicals reaching hair follicles.