If you or a dear friend has cancer, what’s not to love about a gift package of skin care products specially formulated for cancer patients? Possible side effects, for one thing. Though these may seem like a sweet and thoughtful way to pamper someone, it’s better to buy products that are more basic — and bring along a basket of fresh fruit if you want to make it more special.
Cancer treatment can cause skin reactions, it’s true, and they can last for weeks after treatment ends. Radiation often makes skin tender and sore and causes it to redden and peel, while treatment with various hormones and some of the more powerful chemo drugs may bring on dryness, skin rashes, blotching, itching and irritation.
To manage skin problems, dermatologists have long steered cancer patients toward mild and inexpensive drug-store skin-care products such as Cetaphil lotion. New luxurious lines of specialized creams and formulations specifically designed to soothe the skin and souls of cancer patients are appealingly scented with lavender and other herbs and botanicals and are beautifully packaged, but most also carry a top-of-the-line price tag. To get a professional’s opinion on the matter, I called dermatologist Jennifer DeFazio, MD, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Before we got to skin products, Dr. DeFazio cautioned that chemotherapy patients should discuss any skin changes after treatment with their doctor right away — the oncologist, may want to adjust the drugs depending on the reaction. She also noted that good skin maintenance during cancer treatment is really no different than at other times in life — wash with a mild soap and moisturize daily for dry skin with application of a mild lotion while the skin is still damp after a bath or shower. Plain old time-tested petroleum jelly products, such as Vaseline and Aquaphor, are fine for skin irritated by treatment, she says. Your health care professional may also advise using Biafine, a wound-healing cream, for more severe reactions.
As to specialized products, Dr. DeFazio expresses concern about those containing numerous botanicals. For example, the ingredient list accompanying one product line includes astazanthin, bisabolol, grape seed, red raspberry seed, white birch extract… and more. Dr. DeFazio says that some botanicals, such as aloe vera, green tea and oatmeal extracts are well-known for their soothing or anti-inflammatory properties, but we do not really know much about how well many others work. Furthermore, some common botanical and herbal extracts can actually cause side effects, and fragrances and preservatives in products can be irritating to sensitive skin. This is especially true for skin that has been subjected to radiation. Here are some side effects that K. Simon Yeung, PharmD, LAc, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Service, warned about…
It’s important to check with an oncologist or dermatologist before using anything on your skin. While acknowledging that these lovely and aromatic skin products can give patients an important emotional lift, simpler ingredients may be a better choice in the long run.
