The purpose of chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells. However, in the process of killing cancer cells the normal cells also get adversely affected. Reactions to drug therapy or chemotherapy are very common and chemotherapy toxicities are usually responsible for skin reactions that will be discussed later. It is important to be familiar with the kind of skin changes that could appear while undergoing chemotherapy and the measures that should be taken to protect the skin from the harmful reactions. It shouldn’t come as a shock or one should not neglect these significant skin changes thinking or hoping that it’s normal. 

So, we provide you with a list of chemotherapy skin side effects and the measures that one could take to protect the skin from any further damage. These symptoms are different from those of skin cancer.

Chemotherapy Skin Side Effects

Given below is the list of skin reactions that are very commonly found in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

• Dry skin - Lack of moisture is the reason for dry skin. Roughnesses of the skin, scaling, itching, etc are some of the signs of dry skin.
• Hyperpigmentation - Hyperpigmentation is nothing but darkening of the skin in a particular area or overall darkening. The tongue, gums, knuckles and gums could also appear to be dark due to hyperpigmentation.
• Photosensitivity - Photosensitivity is a result of ultraviolet radiation. It could be classified into three types, phototoxic reactions where the reactions occur due to a high dose of drug, UV recall reaction which is a reaction that occurs after administering the drug within a week of being affected by sunburn. The third and the least common is photoallergic reaction which also occurs due to high dosage of a particular drug called flutamide.
• Flushing - Flushing is a reaction that is caused due to a variety of chemotherapy drugs. Some of it includes bleomycin, docetaxel and carmustine
• Radiation Recall - Certain drugs cause radiation and radiation occurring on the same area again is called radiation recall. It takes about 8-15 days to show up after the radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy Skin Care Tips

Going through chemotherapy is very stressful for most of the patients, however, if patients know how to cope with them and take care of themselves, it might ease the stress a little. Now that you are familiar with the common skin reactions that could occur due chemotherapy, take a look at the measures that you could take to prevent the skin from worsening.

• Drink plenty of water and other fluids to ensure that you hydrate your body well. This will prevent skin drying
• Ensure that you use mild detergents to wash clothes as they contain perfumes and allergens that could irritate the skin
• As harsh substances could irritate the skin, avoid using perfumed soaps and cosmetics
• If your skin feels rough, dry, flaky or itchy apply a mild moisturizer
• Extreme weather could have ill effects on the skin so avoid being in extremely cold, dry, hot and windy conditions
• When doing household chores, ensure that you wear rubber gloves to protect your skin from any harmful substances
• Avoid direct skin contact with the sun
• Apply mild lotions and sunscreens to moisturize the skin and to protect it from the sun
• Avoid wearing tight clothes that could irritate the skin
• Instead of rubbing the washed area with a towel, gently pat the area

So now you know about the different chemotherapy skin problems during and after the treatment. If you follow the tips given in the article above, you will note a considerable difference in your skin condition. These side effects of the skin are evident whether you undergo treatment for small cell lung cancer or chemotherapy for any other type of cancer. Other than the external factors, one should also be on a healthy and nutritional diet. For example, consume fruits and vegetables with high water content. These are just some of the simple tips that anyone could follow to avoid the chemotherapy skin side effects.