Anybody got advice on what deodorant is best to use while having treatment I’ve had a leaflet recommending bodyshop or certain makes from Boots? I usually always use roll ons cause I got sensitive skin anyway but wondered what other ladies here used??!??
I started Radiotherapy on 24th October and the radiotherapy team have told me that I can’t use any kind of deodorant on the side being zapped. I’d be interested to know if you have any success. I certainly find bathing in E45 body wash and Waitrose fragrance free bubble bath to be a help.
hi
I just have just been through 11 sessions, just four sessions to go before my radiotherapy ends.
I was told not to use any deodorant on the side being treated as well as not using any method to remove any hair which happens to grow throught the treatment.
Also no talcum powder, bubble bath, bath salts, shower gels or body lotions in the treated area.
Only use simple unperfumed soap/gel and apply with your hands and not with sponge or flannel.
Use only cream advised by radiographer/nurse/oncologist or discuss with them if its not working.
So far my skin has held up okay, a bit pink but not painful at all.
edited to say I have washed with simple shower gel. I was supplied with some cream called QV at the hospital which I use 2/3 times a day.
Hope everything goes well with you
Take Care
Karen
I was also told not to use ANYTHING on my treatment side/area, other than E45 cream 2-3 times per day. I used my normal deoderant under my other arm, but found sweating wasnt a problem for me post chemo/during radiotherapy anyway.
Good luck
Mandy xx
Thanks girls all advice gratefully received! Karen I have been noting your diary re: radiotherapy treatments you are a bit ahead of me I’ve had my planning app and tattoos(!) but back to waiting to hear when my 15 treatments start. How is the tiredness, l et me know about that! Oh and have you started tamoxifen yet?! I got to finish rads then start on them - fab stuff innit!!!
I used aloe Vera 100% during radiotherapy to protect from burning and it worked. No deodorant at all during treatment, then a para been free deodorant or sanex chemical free or from holland and Barratt aloe Vera all very gentle.
Hi Valleygirl
Mine has all been quite quick,haven’t waited too long for anything but did ask about delays and the impact any treatment delay may have and not sure if that helped any. I have had surgery, Radiotherapy and will continue hormone therapy for five years (post menopausal due to a hysterectomy three weeks before surgery - non BC related so Letrozole for me)
I seen the oncologist on 1st Oct (had surgery on Aug 28th) , had planning and tattoos on 10th Oct and started Radiotherapy on October 13th.
I would say its more fatigue than tiredness (can’t sleep it off just a general draining feeling) a bit hard to describe really but been told to be prepared for the fatigue to continue for a week or so after the Radiotherapy stops.
If there is anything more you would like to know then just let me know
Take Care
Karen
Hi Valleygirl
I finished rads at the beginning of September and am on Tamoxifen. At my hospital (Addenbrookes, Cambridge) they had just had a change of policy and I was allwoed to use deodorant, paraban free, Biosen was the one recommended which I happened to use anyway. I would recommend that you keep the area really mositurised, I was told to use aqueous cream 4-5 times a day. I didnt have any problems with skin breaking down, but I know other ladies had those problems. I only had 15 sessions though.
All the best!
Patchit
Hello Valleygirl51,
I used alcohol-free deodorant the whole time during my radiation therapy (30 sessions). I was told to clean it off with wipes before each treatment. I was also allowed to use a battery or electric shaver, but definitely no razors. Make sure you use the moisturiser cream (aqueous) 3x a day and wash your hands before touching your skin. If you have a tub of cream, then use a clean spoon to dispense the cream and do not dip your fingers into it. You want to avoid contaminating the cream and your skin.
I was very grateful to be allowed to use deodorant because you are already feeling less than human and not having to have sweaty armpits was one less insult to deal with.
Good luck with your treatment. 
Thanks you for all your advice girls- still on the waiting patiently bench ( so much waiting!) Gives me time to get proper sorted!!!
Hi Valleygirl51
The waiting is truly awful.
The poor radiographer does get close to the armpit when they are lining you up and the thought of giving them an awful smell up their nose is worrying.
I am about to have my last session today and have managed without deodorant by taking along a damp flannel and washing said armpit just before I had treatment (when getting changed). I am sure I had read someone saying that’s what they would do if they were more organised but it must have been in a different thread. My sister thought it was hilarious, the thought of my going for treatment with a washbag with a damp flannel inside . That said I am not sure that I am sweating as much as normal and haven’t been horrendously sweaty even without deodorant on that side.
Skin still holding up okay but have been warned to continue to watch it and treat as if I was still havng treatment for a couple of weeks re applying cream and will see oncologist in 6-8 weeks time to check how things are going
Hope eveything goes well with you and you get started soon
Take care
Karen
My rads unit (Mount Vernon) sold alo vera deodorant, which we were allowed to use. Also put 99% AVera gel on IN THE ROOM before I got dressed again… I didn’t like acqueous cream, and found a moisturiser for babies (Arbonne, but I’m sure any baby one would do) and was told if it was suitable for babies it would be OK for me having rads… kept skin lovely and soft… my “burning” was just a deep suntan (very deep!) but I was scrupulous about moisturising morning, noon & night… a chore, but worth it… I have hardly needed deodorant since rads (over a year ago)… either side, which is weird! Hope it all goes well
Jane
Hi Ladies, I am in the September chemo thread at the moment but have just been reading your posts about rads as I start mine towards the end of January and wanted to know how you coped, I will be going to Mount Vernon. Any advice gratefully received.
Best wishes
Nicola
Hi salonen13 how’s the skin doing and have you been hit by fatigue etc yet? I finally got start date 8th November so revising all advice on this thread. Very helpful for me all you ladies ahead with the rads especially as it’s around same time. Do you find its good to be at the end of treatment?! I’m hoping to go back to work after Christmas so returning to “normal” I hope. Although I don’t think things will ever be normal after all this rollercoaster stuff!
Lol Salonen that was me, and I’m still not organised enough to have remembered to take the wash bag! However one of the rads nurses said 1) I’m not whiffy, and 2) a bit of baby powder gently patted in is ok, it absorbs wetness. So long as its unperfumed…now I like the smell of johnsons baby powder (or to be more precise, I remember liking the smell of it 18 years ago when using it on my baby) so is it perfumed??
Hi Ali
It does have perfume, alas, as does their baby soap. I’m allergic to perfume so knew all about just about every product before I started rads. I was told to use only unperfumed soap, either Simple or Johnson’s, and no deodorant on the side which was being nuked. Now I know Johnson’s has perfume so that advice was poor to start with, and Simple is made with animal fat which I don’t much fancy, so I carried on using Tesco unperfumed vegetable oil soap plus moisturising with E45 unperfumed endless moisture and my skin was fine. I’ve been using Pitrok as a deodorant since I finished but I’m developing an allergy to that (and scratching armpits absentmindedly is SO not a good look) and all other deodorants - as opposed to anti-perspirants - seem to have perfume. When I really whiff I sneak a bit of OH’s unperfumed anti-perspirant, anyone else gone back to anti-perspirant despite the advice not to, or know of another unperfumed deodorant?
Foxy
xxxxx
ive used sanex zero shower gel and deoderant and my skins been fine xxx
ive used sanex zero shower gel and deoderant and my skins been fine xxx
Well, at today’s rads appointment they said NO!!! No talc, it has metal compounds in it which can irritate your skin. Don’t know how I missed your post Foxy, I would have stopped using it sooner. Ah well, only one more to go…
Ive always assumed that deodorant by its very nature would be a perfumed product, as it’s designed to mask odour… Whereas anti-perspirant is to stop the wetness???
I got four more rads to go thank god - treatment ok just lots of travelling to and from- I’ve been using aloe vera 99.9%Holland and Barratt so lovely skin so far fingers crossed! A bit tender otherwise feeling okay apart from getting paranoid after sleeping awkward Friday night was all stiff from kneck through shoulder. Thought it might be cause of treatment but just being a hyperchondriac I’m okay today(just got tamoxifen ses to look forward to now!)