I finished partial breast radiotherapy on 27th January 2025. I was using Neogenesis Recovery Serum, their barrier renewal cream, & moisturising spray & it worked a treat, you couldn’t see anything, until my very last treatment (5 in total), when I developed a slightly pink stripe that highlighted the treatment area (I can’t really call it a square, because due to it being partial breast rads, it’s a sort of narrow oblong) around the side of my boob, onto the ribs a little at the side, where my bra backstrap joins the cups.
I’ve continued with my regime of serums, only twice a day, without the post treatment application now, just the same. The area is less pink, more a sort of pale suntan colour now, nearly 3wks after finishing rads. It seems to return to a nearly normal colour for a few minutes while I’m rubbing moisturiser into it.
It’s early days, I know…hoping it does not darken anymore & we’re out of the reaction phase, & into healing now. But how long did peoples’ radiotherapy tan take to fade & not be noticeable? The edges of mine are straight lines, it’s pale, I guess, but distinct to me, & because of the straight lines, looks rather unnatural. It will show slightly above my bra at the side, if I wear something sleeveless with low arm holes, so I’m hoping you can all tell mw this gets better & if anyone has had any successful treatment in getting rid of a ‘square tan’ if it persisted?
(Also, only a very small part of my nipple was in the treatment field, but it is also slightly darker than the other one, feels a bit ‘thicker’ & is almost permentantly excited! Anyone else had a permentantly erect nipple? Does that improve?! It’ll be interesting in a bikini!!)
I can identify with nopple tenderness and mine doubled in size to the other one and went darker. Down the line yellow dead skin seemed to slough off it - encouraged by moisuriser and showering. Pretty much back to normal colour and size now, so yes, theres hope for the future Id say. I had full breast RT though, but also 4 boosters and had a pink/ red area in an oblong where the boosters were, thats gone too. Never went brown, but thats true of my skin in the sun generally - Im either red or white, dont tan unfortunately. Give it time, it will probably improve.
Thank you for the positive tale of improvement! It really does help.
I think your red oblong is probably similar to the partial breast pattern. In sun, I only have to look at it & I’ll be tanned in the morning, so perhaps that is why I’ve ‘tanned’ instead of any sunburn type reaction. I’m hoping it’s not too much time, but often my summer tan lines will take a month or so to fade.
I had the 5 days course of rads to the right breast. I had no skin breakdown but did get a ‘healthy’ tan which took about 4 months to completely disappear. The nipple wasn’t sore but was definitely an odd colour, that changed back to normal around the same time. I was 67 at the time though so maybe age had something to do with the length of time it took. Once it had faded, other than being slightly smaller due to the tissue that had been removed in surgery, you would never know what the old gal had been through.
Thank you so much for the positive tale of your outcome! It honestly makes me feel SO much better to know this. At the moment, after surgery & recent rads, I can only tell tissue has been removed from the right breast if I bend forward & the ‘girls’ are kind of ‘dangling’! The right was always my ever-so-slightly smaller side prior to surgery anyway, but it was only ever noticeable to me, & I do feel it might be noticeable to others in certain positions now, as I’m very close together in the middle & have always had cleavage in a normal bra, & I feel, bending forward, there is now slightly more volume on the left, that emerges. I am considering a little fat transfer cosmetic work in a few months if it could help that, but also very much because it is great for the area after rads, to introduce non-irradiated fat cells - it triggers them to rejuvenate the whole area, soften & improve all the tissues. I was never sore at all, just a little pink, which turned into the mild tan & oddly, constantly erect nipple - I pray my tan disappears just as yours did & some day I will have to look back at my photos of it to remember where to put my SPF50 as I confidently sport my bikini on the beach! Hearing the good outcomes is really so helpful! xx
Anyone else had a permentantly erect nipple? Does that improve?! It’ll be interesting in a bikini!!)