Hi I’m new to the forum found a lump in April operation May starting radiotherapy very soon. Should I moisturise my breast after treatment and what is the best product to use . I am 69 have come to terms with my diagnosis and am looking forward to the future.
I’m starting radiotherapy on 11th July and have been advised that I can moisturise with E45 before and after radiotherapy.
Julie xx
hi Joyce welcome to the forum and glad you found us. I was diagnosed March 18 and finished rads July 2nd having had 15 normal and 5 boosters. I creamed before and after and always took a bottle of water with me to drink why waiting and then driving home. In used aveeno cream all the way through and it suited me. Always do a test on a little area just in case there is reaction. Use a cream that suits you but with no perfume etc etc. I also had some aloe Vera in the fridge for the latter part of treatment and afterward when skin broke down. Hope all goes well for you in the last stage of active treatment. Xx
Hi Joyce
I have recently completed radiotherapy and am going through the 21-day after-period when it has its greatest effects. I have experienced only the mildest itching above my mastectomy scar and I’m at the peak point so I reckon this is as bad as it will get. For the first time in the whole process, I’ve been lucky! Admittedly there was a long break between surgery and radiotherapy (Oct full mastectomy/axillary clearance, chemo Dec - April). The advice I was given by my oncologist and then the radiographer in my prep meeting was moisturise, moisturise and moisturise again, front and back as the rays pass through. You have to moisturise during the process so why not before? I used Aqueous cream which the hospital had given me when I was an in-patient. It costs about 4-5 quid and is considered quite old-fashioned by some. E45 (which you rule out) and Aveeno were also recommended by the radiographer. What’s important is that there should be zero oils or perfume in your cream - that’s what causes a reaction with radiotherapy. I also keep aloe vera close by to dab on the itch but didn’t find it moisturised for suppleness. There may be no problem if you don’t moisturise (you don’t say if you still have a nipple, which changes the picture a bit) but for me, my scar tightens quickly which would have made holding the pose on the bed uncomfortable/impossible. Radiotherapy is very drying. You feel nothing and, if your skin is well-prepared, see nothing till maybe the last few sessions - and it’s over in minutes.
However, if you have any uncertainty, ring the radiotherapy unit and ask to speak to one of the nurses. It looks from the thread like different hospitals have different policies. And your scar is still quite fresh and may be vulnerable. Good luck. It’s a daily drag but it’s soon over,