Skin Cream during radiation

hi nelia48 how are you doing are you healed up yet.   my last treatment was april 27 and the raw spot healed fast by friday may 1st it was healed i hope you were as lucky.     sharon

Hi.. has anyone heard of Aloe-Esta(not vesta) gel? It's supposed to have pure aloe vera gel in it and supposed to be good for the skin during rads. I am only on # 10 with very little side effects.. no burning yet but the rad doc says for me to start wearing aquafor now along with aloe vera gel.

If anyone has heard of it and/or used it, please let me know. Thanks

Belinda

I did 30 treatments 5 days a week for 6 weeks in case you were wondering and never did use anything else.

I've been told to use 100% aloe vera during radiation to be applied every day after treatment, then use Aquaphor after treatment is all done.  Go with whatever your doctor recommends though

 A homeopathic doc recommended this cream to me by Electic Institute- she calls it the 3-C's cream.  It is Calendula, comfrey, coneflower cream.  I tried emu oil and the vitamin E cream that they gave me at the clinic where I had the rads, but the 3-C's was the most soothing.  I got a little red and sore, but it went away in about a week after the rads were over (28 treatments).  She said be very sparing with it.  It is really funny stuff, not really creamy, but it sure seems to do the trick!  I got a big jar, and ran out, bought a second one- I still have some left, so I put it on my face and hands sometimes.

Survivors,

The best thing I can suggest is to treat your skin like you would a new born babies. My office instructs their patients to pick one lotion, something with a low alcohol content, no shimmer and not heavily perfumed.(vaseline intensive care, udder butter, eucerin or aqafor) Start lotioning as soon as the surgical scar is healed. Just make sure if you have marks with marker not to erase them. If you noticed that you have, get your therapist to redraw them. Aloe is great if you stick to it and if it has a low alcohol content. It is important to only use one product until your nurse or doctor tells you not to. Using multiple products could cause a chemichal burn. No deoderants under the treatment arm unless they are sold in a pharmacy specifically for radiation patients. They must not contain alluminum or other metalics, it will disrupt the distribution of the radiation. It is ok to shower. A mild soap like caress, dove, ivory, oil of olay with shea butter is best. Let the water rinse over you but not directly, and avoid extremes of heat. No ice packs or heating pads. Avoid powders, they tend to cake and stick. The skin may go thru stages and lotions may need to be adjusted. For red sunburned looking skin my office uses a aquafor and lidocain mixture or a product called "lindy wraps" (you can get a prescription and they are all natural products). If unfortunately with all of these attemps blisters develop we use a prescription for silvadene ( if not allergic to it). Most of the time that is very late in treatment if it does occur. The skin should be healed by your one month follow up appointment, it could get a slight bit worse before it gets better. Just make sure if there are any open areas you are not running a fever. I hope this helps.

I have been using aloe vera gel. It's 97% aloe vera, the other 3% is gelling agents. I had slight pinkness in my neck after 6 treatments since I didn't realize the rads to supraclavicular nodes go so high. I used the aloe vera and the pink faded. I have had 8 treatments and have no other skin issues.

Leah

Has anyone out there heard of using 100% hydrous lanolin as the only applied treatment during early stages of radiation? That is what my radiation oncologist has recommended, but I can't find any information or reviews of it on the internet. I started last week, have rads up to my collarbone and internal mammary with use of bolus every other time and am obsessing about potential complications.

I don't know about lanolin with rads, though I do know it's generally very good for other skin problems. One warning - if you're allergic to wool, DON'T use it. It's made from the skin oils of lambs, and a wool allergy is actually not an allergy to the fibers but to the skin oils.

Leah

I started out using 10% aloe vera then late last week was told to switch to a saline solution and Aquaphor.  I finish rads 8/4.

Hi.  It sounds like you had a great experience with this Udderly Smooth cream.  When exactly did you apply it, before and/or after radiation, and how many times a day otherwise?  I start rads in 3 weeks.  Thanks.

OK Ladies,  you have recommended some great skin creams for during radiation, but, I can't find them anywhere?????  Pharmacies, medical places, anywhere?  can someone let me know where to find these creams???  Thanks,

and where did you purchase it?

I use calendula ointment at night that I ordered from drugstore.com and during the day, I slather on Aloe Life Skin Gel that I ordered from harvesthealth. I have had 15 treatments and things are going well. Occasionally if I feel itchy, I use 1% hydrocortisone. My radiation oncologist says my skin looks very good for this point in treatment.

Rad nurses recommended ONLY 100% aloe vera gel  3x a day and aquaphor if necessary, Dove for Sensitive Skin to wash with beginning at the start of treatment based on their positive experience with these products and the fact that they are readily available at local pharmacies and INEXPENSIVE. I purchased a 12 oz bottle of the Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel for $5.99 at my local Rite Aid and for $2.99, a 6 oz tube of CVS Aftersun pure aloe vera with no alcohol,color or fragrance to take with me everyday to slather on right after rads. I bought the Dove body wash on sale at BJ's. It feels like washing with whipped cream, not my thing, one 24 oz bottle will be enough! I have finished 28 treatments and 4 of 8 boosts and am red but no skin breakdown. I combine the  Aloe Vera with Jojoba Oil for a daily moisturizer on my face to avoid estrogen which might be lurking in manufactured cosmetics.