A master esthetician’s guide to skincare during chemotherapy

sensitive skinchemotherapyskincare routine

Jun 23

Written By Kathy Suyun Kwon

Being intentional about your skin care during chemotherapy is really important. Your skin is your body’s biggest organ and it functions as a protective barrier. Being extra discerning about what you put in your body as well as on your body is crucial during therapy. As an esthetician who is Oncology Certified, I’ll share some tips here to keep your skin feeling optimal during your health challenged period.

Intro

Skin care tips for chemotherapy

01. Use a hydrating gentle skin care routine daily.

The key to a simple health-promoting skin care routine during chemo is to use gentle hypoallergenic skin cleansers followed by deeply hydrating hypoallergenic moisturizers every day. Avoid unnecessary allergens (such as fragrance) and irritants (such as many acne and anti-aging ingredients). Keep skin care simple and hydrating to maintain comfortable skin during chemotherapy. This in turn helps to fend off skin dryness, which will reduce skin fragility.

02. Use only gentle skin cleansers.

Cleanse with a gentle pH-balanced cleanser that is free from fragrance and exfoliating ingredients. My favorite options come from the VaniCream line. I like their bar soap, which can be used from head to toe. Other good options include Cetaphil and Aquanil liquid cleansers. Natural soap options have an alkaline pH that is inherent in the soap-making process, called saponification. Select products without botanical essences can be allergens: Yes, they are natural but they have allergens nonetheless, just like poison oak and poison ivy.

03. Always rinse well after using a skin soap or cleanser.

This is critical to protect the lipids and protein that make up your fragile skin barrier layer. Retained soap or cleanser residue will continue to remove lipids and eventually damage keratin protein if you don’t rinse it off. Pay particular attention to your hands, including the skin under your rings and between your fingers. These are places where irritant hand dermatitis often starts. Take the time to rinse your skin well after every washing.

04. Avoid very hot water for skin cleansing.

The water temperature for your skin cleansing should be warm but not steamy hot. Remember that hot water rinses grease and grime off pots and pans better than cooler temperatures. You don’t want that efficiency with skin cleansing because it equates to the loss of intercellular lipids in your skin’s barrier layer.

05. Always apply moisturizer within 3 minutes after toweling skin dry following cleansing.

Moisturizer traps water that your skin just absorbed during cleansing. Apply a rich moisturizer with occlusive ingredients such as hypoallergenic botanical oils, petroleum jelly, mineral oil or dimethicone. Other widely available water-binding ingredients in moisturizers include glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Finger or toe fissures can be treated with a more occlusive ointment such as Aquaphor or Bag Balm and covered with therapeutic cotton gloves.

06. Avoid moisturizers with fragrance-and allergen-and irritating ingredients, including some of the anti-aging and acne ingredients such as salicylic acids, glycolic acid (AHAs) and retinol.

These latter ingredients exfoliate precious skin barrier cells that are reduced during chemo. It’s fine to apply moisturizer to the skin between washings but it’s not nearly as hydrating for your skin as when you apply it after your skin has been washed.