First Visit
DCP treatment usually involves making you allergic to this chemical by “sensitizing” you to the chemical DCP. This chemical is painted on a small patch on your scalp and left on for 24 hours.
After 24-hours, you should remove the patch by wiping the chemical with a tissue before washing the area in the shower. An itchy area or even blister will develop in 3 to 5 days where the DCP is applied. This itchy area will fade in 2-3 weeks.
Second visit
(2 weeks after sensitization)
You need to see the doctor 2 weeks after the “sensitization” period. Your doctor will examine you and decide if DCP will work for you. If you have a reaction to DCP (you developed an itch or blister 3-5 days after “sensitization”), this means that you have been successfully sensitized to DCP.
Subsequent visits
(usually applied weekly)
DCP is usually applied once a week. DCP comes in many concentrations (0.0001%, 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1% etc) and your doctor will choose the best concentration to start treating you with. In the treatment room, your nurse will apply DCP to your scalp. After treatment, you should keep the treated areas covered. After 24 hours, you will be required to wash off all the remaining chemical from your scalp.
Once you have been sensitized to the DCP, you will get a rash wherever it touches you. So you must be careful when you wash away the remaining chemical to make sure that it does not come into contact with other parts of your body.