Radiation Treatment

Ways to Reduce Skin Sensitivity During and After Radiation Treatment;

Prevent irritation before and after daily treatments.

Wear loose-fitting shirts, ideally cotton. 

Always use warm water when showering. 

Avoid direct exposure of your breast to shower water.

Opt for fragrance-free soaps with moisturizers like Dove to prevent skin irritation and redness.

Avoid skin-on-skin contact.

Areas prone to skin contact include the outer portion of your breast when your arm presses against your armpit.

radiation treatment(a)

Be cautious along the bottom crease of your breast where it may come into contact with your upper belly wall.

Pay attention to your cleavage where the breasts touch each other.

Ways to Minimize Skin-on-Skin Contact;

Try keep your arm away your body whenever is possible.

Wear a sturdy without an under wire to keep your breasts separated and supported. If you possess large breasts, you are not having a bra on, place a soft washcloth or piece of flannel or gentle cotton beneath your breast. Regularly dust the breast area and inside skin folds with cornstarch to soak up moisture, minimize friction, and keep yourself smelling fresh. You can utilize baby powder created from cornstarch (do not use talc) or sifted kitchen cornstarch. Apply it with an immaculate makeup brush or put some cornstarch into a single knee-high nylon or thin sock and knot it at the peak. Gently tap the sock on the skin to remove dust from the surface. If your doctor has recommended using lotions or salves, apply them first, then wash the area with cornstarch.

Managing Irritation during and Post Your Radiation Therapy;

At the commencement of treatment, before you encounter any negative outcomes, moisturize the skin post your daily treatment with an ointment such as A&D, Eucerin, Aquaphor, Biafene, or Radiacare. You also can apply it at night — wear an aged T-shirt so the ointment does not get on your bedclothes.

* In case of mild pinkness, itching, and burning, apply an aloe vera preparation. Or attempt 1% hydrocortisone cream (accessible without a prescription at any drugstore). Spread the cream thinly over the impacted area three times a day. If areas turn red, itchy, sore, and begin to burn, and low-potency cream no longer alleviates your symptoms, kindly ask your physician for a stronger steroid cream available by prescription. Illustrations include 2.5% hydrocortisone cream and bethamethasone. Few individuals find some relief by blowing air on the area with a hairdryer adjusted to "cool" or "air" (no heat).

Do not put on a bra if there are raw areas.

What about sun exposure during radiation therapy?

During radiation, it is best to keep the treated area completely out of the sun.

Wear a bathing suit with a high neck.

Cover-up with clothing when you're not in the water.

Wear an oversized cotton shirt to cover the treated area and allow it to breathe.

Avoid chlorine. Chlorine is very drying and can make your skin react worse.

If you swim in a pool, you may want to spread petroleum jelly (a product like Vaseline) on the treated area to keep the chlorinated water off your skin.

After radiation treatment is completed, skin that has been exposed to radiation may be more sensitive to the sun than in the past. You can go out in the sun and have fun, but still protect your skin:

Use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on the treated area. (A strong sunscreen is a very good policy for every inch of your body.)

Before going out in the sun sunscreen must be applied. .

Reapply sunscreen every few hours, as well as when getting out of the water.

GalSkin