Recently, I’ve been talking with several women who have cancer. With all the anxiety they’ve had to deal with along come the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
These effects include developing oversensitive skin, painful irritation, burning, redness, swelling, rashes, acne, dryness, scaling and peeling. Here is what I’ve been recommending they do to help alleviate these temporary skin problems in this terribly stressful time in their lives:
Avoid fragrances in your facial cleanser, soap, moisturizers, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and styling products. You may find you’ve developed a new sensitivity to products you’ve been using for years. I highly recommend a product line called Vanicream.
Use glycerin soap. It’s gentle enough for all skin types and helps your skin better absorb water from your moisturizer.
Relax into an oatmeal bath. Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory and protective properties that can soothe inflammation, acts as an effective natural cleanser, contains phenols and
flavonoids that provide protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and provides
antioxidants to fight free radicals.
Use corn starch to calm itchiness instead of drying talc-based powders.
Your skin in now more sensitive to UV light. Use a sunscreen containing zinc
oxide to calm inflammation and protect your skin.
Keep fighting, my friends!
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