| Radiotherapy and skin reaction |
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10/15/2010 21:11
Laurie 
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10/15/2010 21:11
Laurie
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Radiotherapy and skin reaction
My sincere thanks to this forum for guiding me to radiotherapy. I have just completed my first five treatments with Dr. Elisabeth Weiss in Richmond. I do have a question for those who have had radiotherapy. I've noticed that quite a few people talk about dry skin as a side effect. My skin seems fine. Does the dry skin occur immediately, or after some time has elapsed? Has anyone had any other reaction/side effect besides dry skin? Dr. Weiss said my nodules were hard and therefore would not likely shrink in size, but she's optimistic about halting the progression - for which I'd be completely happy. Thanks again to those who urged me to get going with radiotherapy since I was in an "active" stage.
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10/16/2010 01:45
flojo 
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10/16/2010 01:45
flojo
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
Great news, Laurie. Sounds like you found a progressive doctor.
I had very minimal dryness in the web of my thumb about 3-4 weeks after my first RT. It was just a little flaking that went away after several days. This 2nd time, there is no sign of any dryness or flaking yet. RT was finished 2 weeks ago today.
What kind of radiation did you have? The radiation I had was electron. I wonder if that makes a difference.
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10/16/2010 05:27
LubaM.
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10/16/2010 05:27
LubaM.
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
Laurie:
My sincere thanks to this forum for guiding me to radiotherapy. I have just completed my first five treatments with Dr. Elisabeth Weiss in Richmond. I do have a question for those who have had radiotherapy. I've noticed that quite a few people talk about dry skin as a side effect. My skin seems fine. Does the dry skin occur immediately, or after some time has elapsed? Has anyone had any other reaction/side effect besides dry skin? Dr. Weiss said my nodules were hard and therefore would not likely shrink in size, but she's optimistic about halting the progression - for which I'd be completely happy. Thanks again to those who urged me to get going with radiotherapy since I was in an "active" stage.
Laurie,
Glad you started your RT treatment. I had RT almost a year ago, with excellent results. My nodules were hard and many of them shrunk in size, the remaining ones are much softer and so far it has stopped the progression of the disease, because there has been no new nodules and the itching and crawly feeling has stopped.
As far as dryness, I had no noticeable problem. I did however use a cream with 20% urea (which was recommended by a few people on the forum) for the first few weeks, just in case. No other side effects.
Good luck with your RT.
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10/16/2010 13:45
lori
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10/16/2010 13:45
lori
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
Laurie,
Glad you did the RT. My nodule has completely disappeared. At least I can't feel it anymore. I finished RT in August of 2009 and I developed dryness as the fall season approached. I had it only in the radiated area. I used a cream called Udder balm (like for cows). You can find it in Walmart. It worked great. I did not have any dryness during the summer, but as this fall approached the dryness started up again. I only have it in the area that was treated. I am back using the balm. The dryness is not bad, it is just noticable. I don't worry about the dry skin.
Good luck with your progress. Keep us posted!
Lori
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10/16/2010 19:13
Diana
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10/16/2010 19:13
Diana
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
I had radiation in July and Oct of 2009. My hand was a bit redder for awhile but not that much. I have dry skin and cannot tell a difference between the treated and non-treated hand as far as dryness goes.
Diana
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10/17/2010 20:44
Laurie
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10/17/2010 20:44
Laurie
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
Thank you for your responses. That's very encouraging! I'm embarrassed to say I don't know what type of radiation was used. I'll ask when I go in for the second round. It is so great that this forum exists. When I asked my primary care doctor about Dupuytren's her response was that she recommends waiting until function is impaired and then she refers patients to a hand specialist. Yikes!!! The scary part is that if I hadn't happened upon the information on the Internet, I would have thought that's what you do. I'm going to start a new thread because I'm really curious about something...
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10/21/2010 09:54
xyzacorleonenot registered
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10/21/2010 09:54
xyzacorleonenot registered
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
Radiotherapy can make the skin go red or darker in the treatment area. Some people have no skin problems at all but others can have very sore skin. Whether or not you have a skin reaction depends on your own type of skin and the area being treated,Advice about skin care varies from one hospital to another. You may be told not to wash the treatment area at all during treatment, although there is little evidence that this helps. It is best to follow the instructions of your own treatment unit. But there is evidence that daily washing with mild, unperfumed soap and warm or cool water is helpful. You should gently pat the skin dry with a soft towel. Or you could use a hair dryer on the cold setting to air dry your skin briefly. Rubbing the skin makes it sore.
- Don't rub the area too hard as this can make it sore
- Don't use perfumed soaps, talcs, deodorants, lotions or perfumes
- Try baby soap or liquid baby wash but check with the radiotherapy staff in your department first
-Men having radiotherapy to the head and neck should use an electric razor instead of wet shaving
- These tips apply only to the treatment area - you can treat the rest of your skin normally
Edited 10/21/10 12:54
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10/21/2010 22:37
flojo
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10/21/2010 22:37
flojo
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Re: Radiotherapy and skin reaction
Xyzacorleone,
Are you talking about effects after radiation for Dupuytren's or keloids, or the much higher dosage for cancer?
I such minimal reaction the first time and the second time, I have had no reaction at all. A very low dose is used for DD.
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