Understand my skin
While chemotherapy can be one of the more effective ways of treating cancer, it also produces a number of skin side effects, including dryness, irritation, folliculitis and hand-foot syndrome. By caring for their skin, patients can minimise their discomfort and soothe irritation.
Cancer attacks through stealth and speed. A few cancerous cells renew quickly, turning into many that infect localised and surrounding tissues. If nothing is done, they can spread throughout the whole body. Treating cancer therefore aims to destroy the cells and prevent them from spreading.
Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the three ways in which cancer is generally treated. With surgery, the cancer is small and localised, and it’s possible to remove it by cutting it out. Radiotherapy tries to eliminate cancer through radiation that can be provided in a number of ways.
Chemotherapy, delivered increasingly as targeted therapy, uses powerful drugs to attack cancer. Given orally or through injection, they also act to stop cancer cells from spreading and destroy them.
When you’re fighting to act fast and powerfully to slow cancer’s progress, there can also be unwanted skin side effects. Skin cells also renew quickly, and they can therefore be impacted by chemotherapies and targeted therapies. Without the right care, these specific skin side effects can have an important effect on patient quality of life and morale.
Skin is the body’s largest organ, and managing skin side effects such as folliculitis and hand-foot syndrome can make a real difference in ensuring treatment continues. Let’s have a closer look.
43-85% of patients undergoing targeted therapies can develop folliculitis. Much depends on the type and length of treatment. Rest assured, however. The rash fades when treatment stops, and generally, there is no long-term scarring.
Targeted therapies such as anti-EGFR can sometimes cause a heat reaction in the sebaceous glands, present in large quantity in the skin. It is why, these acneiform skin lesions are localised on seborrheic areas such as the face, neck, shoulders and back. This folliculitis is distinct from acne because there are no comedones. So, folliculitis cannot be treated in the same way and acne products are not recommended.
Patients may at first feel burning and swelling in the centre of their face and on the parts of the body where the rash later develops. Pimples may then appear. Skin may also be red and itchy, which can turn to pain when lesions erupt. Skin can feel extremely sensitive to the point where patients are uncomfortable getting dressed due to the sensation of clothing on their skin. A study conducted by Bioderma report different symptoms that could create discomfort for the patients.
For some patients, their folliculitis deeply affecting their quality of life by limiting social interaction. At the first grade, the use of appropriate moisturiser and cleanser can help limit the worsening of folliculitis.
Take care of its moral is also important. Make-up may seem like a problem, but on the contrary, if it is chosen correctly, it can help conceal pimples and limit the impact of folliculitis on quality of life. Noncomedogenic products that allow the skin to breathe are preferable, and patients must carefully wash and dry their face every night.
Be sure to consult with your cancer care team. Don’t hesitate to tell them what you feel and ask their advice, even if it’s ‘just a skin side effect’. Putting on a soothing cream early on in your treatment will help prevent the rash from developing into more severe stages that hamper your lifestyle.
Discover our article : "Sensibio Erycontrol: Moisturising, soothing cream for sensitivity and superficial redness, caused by cancer treatments"
As few as 3.2% and as many as 74% of patients are affected by hand-foot syndrome. As with folliculitis, it depends greatly on the drug used and dose. Women tend to be more affected than men. Once again, it fades when treatment stops.
Hands and feet become dry and sensitive to touch. Patients could feel swelling, tingling and tenderness. Handling items or walking can become a burden, and in high grades it could be difficult to walk. Thick callouses can develop and the skin may flake, peel and split.
Hand-foot syndrome is not understood in its entirety, and a number of reasons may explain its appearance as a skin side effect, including an epidermal layer that renews itself faster, micro-vascularisation that is different to the rest of the body’s, a thicker horny layer and the absence of sebaceous glands and pilo-sebaceous follicles, among others. The skin on hands and feet seems to be different from elsewhere on the body.
When first signs appear, caring for hands and feet in their environment becomes an important part of managing this skin side effect. Patients should protect their hands and their feet in every situation. It is better to avoid every activity resulting in skin lesion such as gardening without gloves, wearing uncomfortable shoes, carrying heavy bags,…
Once the burning sensation begins, it’s best to consult one of your healthcare team and describe in detail what you feel to get the most adapted care. They can help you find an appropriate cream that will soothe your skin and provide relief.
With both folliculitis and hand-foot syndrome, skin weakened by treatment can become dry, red and sensitive. Acknowledging and caring for these skin side effects at an early stage can make an important difference to patients’ quality of life and also help them pursue their treatment to beat their cancer.
Healthcare professionals focus their advice and care, rightly so, on fighting the cancer. Skin side effects are no less important to your experience. So don’t be afraid to speak up, share your story and find a support group. All cancer patients go through a difficult experience, and you all have your own tips and wisdom to share.
