The care of the skin in oncological patients goes beyond a question purely of the health of this organ, the most important part of the human body. It also influences the psychological state of the patient: it determines how people perceive the patient with cancer and how they perceive themselves. Good skin care can greatly influence the patient’s state of mind.
Among cancer treatments are radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The difference, explains the cosmetologist and dermocosmiatra Gisela Salvador, is that radiotherapy sends high waves of radiation to eliminate tumors, while chemotherapy is a systemic treatment and is administered through a catheter. Radiotherapy, in addition, which area of the body where it is applied.
Each patient, continues Salvador, has a skin reaction that depends on the “type of radiation and the type of chemotherapy” they receive. “It is not even a patient who is in a stage 1, the initial cancer, who is going to receive a lighter treatment, compared to a person with a metastasis, who will receive a treatment that will cause much more damage to the skin”, he explains. he.
Some of the common skin symptoms in cancer patients are cutaneous xerosis (dry skin) throughout the body and alopecia (loss of hair), in the case of chemotherapy. In the case of radiotherapy, the process involves generating burns, pigmentation, fissures or cracks in the skin, and does not generate alopecia, subraya la dermocosmiatra.
Recommendations
“The first thing is hygiene. It is important that the patient does not use very alkaline soaps”, which can cause dryness. Instead of very strong soaps, Salvador recommends the use of soaps syndet, which are products without detergents or soaps with a neutral pH level. In the case of hands and nails, it is recommended to use moisturizing and oil products to strengthen the nails.
In addition —añade— the patient should try to hydrate himself through the use of creams with ceramides, which are essential lipids to keep the skin hydrated, and hyaluronic acid, important to retain water in the tissues. Las duchas con agua caliente also dry the skin, so patients should opt for baths with water at templada temperature and of short duration.
Another consideration to hydrate the skin is to try to apply products with elements such as aloe, which have the presence of skin repairers and which do not contain parabens or perfumes, which could have an irritating effect.
The sun is something that the cancer patient should avoid without exceptions, because the treatment processes cause the skin to be in a much more “reactive” state. In case it is impossible to avoid going out in the sun, you should use a sunscreen with a minimum factor of 50, says Salvador. It is likely that spots will appear on the skin during the treatment, but the pigmentation will disappear at the end of the treatment. “Así no salga de la casa, you should use sunscreen”, he recommends.
“The skin of the oncological patient is sensitized with any thing”, he comments. “If I have my sensitive skin and I leave it in the sun without protection, what I will produce is that my skin will tear, my skin will burn, my skin will hurt. That’s why it’s important to use sunscreen”.
The emotional effect of cancer treatments on the patient is “total”. Salvador indicates that it is important for oncology to be supported by other sciences, such as psychology and dermatology. “It’s a tough stage. It is important that in the soil the patient receives help: also the family member. I say it from experience: my husband just went through cancer. If they pose with a difficult genius, but one must understand them, for the stage they are going through”.
The family must be empathic with the patient. “You’re tough. My husband did oral treatment. His hands were completely obscured; that was something that affected him a lot psychologically. As a family member, one must have tolerance and understanding ”, explains Salvador, who talks to his patients and their family members about the emotional support that people who are undergoing radio- and chemotherapy treatments need based on her personal experience with her husband .
“As I’m already going through this, I put myself a little more into the emotional part of the patient, so that they feel accompanied (…). This is what my patients like, because they have that confidence that they can express ”, she stresses.
One of the patients who treated Salvador who had the skin most affected was a woman with advanced sinus cancer who received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. “The patient who has sinus cancer must undergo blockade treatment for five years. This treatment produces xerosis. In her case, it was complicated to return the hydration to the skin of the face and the skin of the body ”, she explains. Currently, however, her skin “better muchísimo”. (I)
