Those done..best skin cream/gel (combo?) you found
Thought I'd start a thread just on this as I think all of us just starting are wondering about this, especially the expensive stuff that can add up over a 6.5 weeks time. TIA!
Comments
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Don't buy anything beforehand. I had seen some recommended, and when I looked them up on Amazon or wherever, they were big bucks! I waited to see what the RO recommended and I'm very glad I did. They want you to use a specific kind, and it's a prescription so it was only $10/ea thanks to rx coverage. Went through 3 tubes of it. Super excellent stuff! Then toward the end when there were some raw spots, they gave me a jar of silvadine cream, right in the office, no rx, no schlepping to the pharmacy.
In the early days I did use pure aloe vera gel too, had some on hand for sunburns & stuff anyway. It's soothing. But be sure you get the pure aloe vera with no additives or alcohol or anything. And don't use it if the skin is actually broken - it will sting!
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I used Miaderm and emu oil. Neither is cheap, but they were well worth it. I found Aquaphor unpleasant. Ask your RO for recommendations and samples.
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Jennie- What was the rx one for $10 that was great? My RO toots Miaderm which sounds wonderful but dang it's expensive!
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Homeopathic calendula cream from Whole Foods worked very well for me. At the very end, I started combining it with Aquaphor that might be a bit too greasy at the beginning. If I recall correctly, I used calendula during the day and aquaphor before bed.
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I used calendula as well (and still use it) but I'm not fond of the smell.
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Earths Best Baby Calendula is very nice and doesn't smell bad. I bought it on Amazon. I liked Miaderm a lot. It is expensive but goes a long way and I had a large field to cover. As much as I hated Aquaphor it was the best for nighttime use. It is messy and leaves a residue on your clothing but really helped. I had very little skin breakdown. Keep in mind that your RO can give you breaks if your skin gets bad.
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I also don't have old t-shirts to wear. I'm home all the time so maybe I can not wear any top/bra? So the Miaderm goes a long way? I read on amazon that one lady had to use 3-4 tubes for her 6 weeks rads.
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Artista, I found some wonderfully soft, loose camisoles at Jockey that were wonderful during RT - I wore them at night as well as under my clothes last summer. They were on sale, so inexpensive, too. I think the fabric or line was what they call Elance? They wash and wear and still stay soft, which you will come to appreciate.
I used chilled towels and straight aloe right after each tx. Used Emu oil (one bottle carried me through 7 weeks) every night, Boiron calendula lotion during the day, and lots of the chilled, pure aloe juice whenever I had a few minutes to put some on.
Now that I'm done I use pure coconut oil daily. My skin did very, very well - much better than I expected and returned to normal very quickly. I hope yours does, too.
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I used one tube of Miaderm in 6 or 7 weeks.
You can go to a thrift shop and pick up a few soft cotton tee shirts or men's undershirts inexpensively.
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I used the samples that my Dr gave me. I also did get AquaPhor and used it aome. Had no skin isaues at all during rads. I did burn very bad after last rad (25th). I almost totally annihilated my huge wash tub of aloe to not good. What finally healed the area was Domeboro soaks.
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I don't know why but rads is scaring me more than anything in this journey thus far. I know I can burn easy so that sucks. I sleep best on my left side and well guess what side it's on??
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I used nothing before each session, lest I inadvertently cause my skin to “fry." Immediately after, I applied Aquaphor (the RO gave me a boatload of little tubes of it). At bedtime, I used Fruit of the Earth alcohol-and-fragrance-free 100% aloe vera gel (which my cancer center’s outpatient pharmacy sold for $8 per 24-oz. bottle) and Boiron calendula cream. In the morning before I went for my treatments, I’d shower it off. Aquaphor at bedtime was too greasy & sticky, and coconut oil too gooey and surprisingly, smelly. A couple of months after I finished rads, my dermatologist didn’t like the way my breast looked (I had gone to her for something unrelated) and had me use triamcinolone ointment over the reddened and tanned portions. I stopped using it a couple of weeks ago, but between it and the Swell Spot I wear in my sleep bra, the scarring over the mammary seroma has softened and the bulge is slowly shrinking.
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I did not use anything prior to tx, either. I had morning appts so that was easy to accommodate. shower, go to tx, then treat.
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I loved miaderm and continued to use it after rads. still use it!
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Artista928, I too like to sleep on my left and that's my ugly side. It's been hell the last 5 months!
I started out with Aquafor and really didn't like it. It would turn to glue in my bra and would pull on my sensitive nipple/skin. I have stuck with Aveeno lotion and my skin feels pretty good after 23 zaps.
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During the day I also used mostly calendula- which I think is a miracle for the skin-, and some miaderm- which I think has hyaluronic acid which is good for the skin too. I used calendula/aquaphor at night and ruined a lot of cheap oversized t-shirts because of the aquaphor grease.
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