Researchers have discovered a medical breakthrough that may allow patients to fight cancer without losing their hair.

Dr. Jeffrey Margolis, a Beaumont oncologist, introduced a patient to the Cold Cap. The cap is like an ice pack that, when applied to the head, reduces the amount of hair a patient loses during chemotherapy, Local 4 reported.

"Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cells," said Margolis. "What the cold cap does is it constricts the blood vessels going through to the hair and basically prevents the hair follicles from being exposed from the toxins of the chemotherapy."

The cap is applied before, during and after chemo treatment. The cap is painfully cold and should be replaced every 35 minutes to keep the temperature consistent, according to patients.

In addition to having to change the cap, it adds between three and five hours to each chemotherapy treatment, and is not covered by most insurance companies, according to the station's reports.

For more information, go to www. msc-worldwide.com/cold_caps.html.