Moisturizing/treating radiation burns - what do you use?

Calendula worked the best for me in the early stages almost until the end. I also used Miaderm. None of the other stuff really worked. I did need some cortisone for anti-itch. After rads were over, then my skin was badly burned, peeling and Silvadene (a script) worked miracles for me. GOOD LUCK!

Is calendula cream a baby moisturizer? That's the only kind I see online.

Have completed 5 of 24 planned treatments. My center suggests aquaphor, emu oil, or aloe Vera gel, starting day one at least 3x a day. Saw a different RO this week who emphasized to wash off whatever is being used before a treatment to avoid it being like using baby oil while laying out in the sun--leading to a sunburn instead of a tan. She also recommended no bra at home and only cotton bras when a bra is a must. I'm using aquaphor most of the time since I have fair skin and already have one sensitive spot--thank goodness for the weekend break!

Which stores do would I find Calendula cream? I just checked Target and Raley's and neither store has it. I can't do an online order because I'm staying at a hotel out of town and won't be home to get it.

Hi everyone, I was looking for a thread on radiation burns and found you all...what a lucky day for me! I've completed 24 of 27 Proton therapy treatments and have been using just about all the creams you've mentioned. I have Aquaphor, pure aloe gel(from Shoprite), Silvadene for burns and one other prescription that I can't remember the name of. At 5:30 this morning the burn and sting was so unreal, I couldn't go back to sleep, so resorted to 3 200mg of Motrin, and that relieved the pain enough to doze off again. I'll echo...thank goodness for the weekend break.

I have aquestion: does the burn turn to a tan? And does it always go away after treatment? Exactly half my chest is my usual skin color and the other half looks--and feels--fried to a crisp.

I've found over the last week or so that keeping the area soft with Aquaphor keeps it from pulling. Less pulling keeps the stinging down, and it's worse when my skin is drier.

Hang in there everyone...it may be a long and winding road but there is definitely light at the end of this tunnel!

Beaverntx and mjschaef129, welcome, and thanks for sharing. Great tips here, from All!

Tewks - yep, for many of us there's a burn then a temporary tan then back to normal. My "tan" went away quickly but others took six months or more to regain normal skin tone.

AndEgads007, I second the vodka!

Klvans...after 5 weeks of rads I only had dry skin....that is until the last two rads when my skin looked like a really bad sunburn. Sore, swollen and cracked. Until that point I had named my breast ‘the Teflon don’. No, not everyone burns...some are lucky enough to get off with a tan and dry skin

Hi everyone! I finished radiation the end of December. It was a great Christmas present to be done! I am fair skinned and have fairly sensitive skin as well. I also have very dry skin so I was already in the habit of moisturizing my entire body daily. My radiation oncology clinic gives their patients Medline REMEDY Phytoplex Nourishing Skin Cream to use. I had already used this product when I had a previous hospital stay. I liked it so well that I already had a big bottle at home that I ordered from Amazon. I was told to use it 3 times a day but not to apply anything to the treatment area within 3 hours prior to radiation. I used this and Aveeno fragrance free lotion (which my rad/onc approved of) frequently during my weeks of treatment. I had a shorter course of radiation, 20 sessions, but received the same amount of overall radiation as I would have with 30 sessions. I was told that if I was going to have any side effects or burns, that they would likely show up toward the end of my treatments or even in the couple of weeks after I had finished radiation. My rad/onc was 100% correct. After about 2 1/2 weeks of radiation, I started having some intense itching....mostly in my cleavage. My Dr. prescribed Mometasone Furoate cream which was fabulous and really helped to control the itch. I did end up with very pink skin that progressed to red. I then started using Calendula Cream that I really liked...it was very soothing. Mine was by California Baby and was found in the baby department of Walmart (Target carries is too). I also used Miaderm radiation relief which I ordered online....as mentioned before, it had both calendula and aloe in it. I had used some aloe during my treatment as well.....I was told to make sure it was 100% pure aloe and contained zero alcohol. I didn't find the aloe gel to give me much relief personally.....the lotions and creams seemed to give me more long term moisture and relief. I too slathered on the Aquaphor....but maybe not as frequently as I should have. At the end of my treatments I did end up with open raw areas. My doctor prescribed the Silvadene cream as well. It helped a lot! In the two weeks following my last radiation treatment, I did end up with a couple of other open areas and quite a bit of peeling skin. I was told not to wear a bra for at least two weeks if possible......since it was winter that was no problem....I just wore layers and sweaters. Though uncomfortable for a little bit, my skin did heal rather quickly. I had read lots of good things about Emu oil so once radiation was over, I purchased some of off Amazon and have really liked it. It absorbs quickly and isn't as greasy or as sticky as Vit E oil. I read that you need to make sure it is 100% pure and is AEA Cerified/ fully refined. I did not buy a crazy expensive bottle, I just bought one that met those requirements and had really good ratings. Now that it has been a few months, my skin is fine...though my treated breast has a bit of a suntan, especially on the side by my ribs and underneath. Pretty funny since it usually takes me a long time to tan and when I do it fades quickly.

I apologize for the length of my response.....hopefully my experience can help some of you who are currently dealing with radiation and burns or who will be going through this in the near future.

Best of luck to all of you warriors! You will get through this and be able to share your stories/advice as well. Stay strong!

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. That really stinks! The blistering and raw areas that I had were no fun but the Silvadene cream helped a lot....I think I took Aleve for the pain and irritation. I was surprised that my blistered areas healed quicker than I expected them too. Good luck to you! I hope your pain subsides soon

Hi everyone. I don't know if anyone has seen it yet but I found Aquaphor in a spray. No rubbing which means less pain.

Tewks, I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through so much pain. I hope they find something for you that helps. I wonder about Neosporin with the pain relief. I used it on a chemical burn I had and it worked wonders for the pain. Ask the doc about it. Hope you feel better soon.