Taking care of your skin during cancer treatment can be one more vulnerability and side effect to attend to. Your skin, like the rest of you, has all sorts of new problems. Different forms of treatment can all dramatically affect your skin, so it can be a challenge to manage side effects like dryness and irritation while protecting your skin from further damage.
We’d never nudge you into feeling any type of way, of course, but we will nudge the best-feeling and most protective items for you to care for yourself. Below, we’ve got a guideline of what products you might need, some expert-recommended favorites, and some we especially love.
Creams and Balms to Heal
A Double-Duty Face and Body Cream
Many dermatologists recommend CeraVe as a safe brand for sensitive skin. During treatment, Dr. David Leffell, a dermatologist at the Yale School of Medicine, recommends ointments or creams rather than lotions, since lotions tend to have more alcohol content, which can dry out your skin. CeraVe is a go-to: easy to find, moisturizing, and long lasting.
Basics That Soothe After Radiation
“Everybody who does radiation will have… some extent of redness on their skin,” says Dr. Johnathan Leventhal, also at Yale where he is the director of the Onco-Dermatology Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital (our interview with him here). If radiation, or any form of treatment, has caused your skin to become irritated, Dr. Leventhal recommends “bland emollients, ones that are petroleum-based are great.” We love a classic here: Aquaphor.
Another option for soothing radiation-irritated skin is ointment with calendula, which has anti-inflammatory properties. We like this first-aid vibes one from Boiron.
A Thick Body Balm (With a Blessedly Subtle Scent)
This L’Occitane body balm has heavy-duty moisturizing superpowers: in other words it can restore your cracked hands overnight, which we recommend as a pampering pre-bedtime ritual. It’s almond-scented, but even for the fragrance averse during treatment, it’s pretty subtle and pleasant.
A Healing Balm For Major Irritation
Elta MD Laser Balm was developed for use after laser-based procedures, whether cosmetic or medical. Laser treatments, such as Carbon Dioxide Laser Resurfacing, are used to treat superficial skin cancers, precancerous lesions, and reduce the appearance of scars or other marks. These treatments often result in dryness, redness and skin crusting. This balm–which is effective for irritated skin, even if you didn’t have a laser treatment–is petroleum-based, meaning it helps maintain a barrier on your skin that retains more moisture.
Delicate Enough for a Baby, Serious Enough For You
Jadey Editorial Director Maggie Lange used her baby’s bougie diaper rash “crème” on her irritated knuckles on a whim, because it was simply there after she washed her hands. It was so effective and gentle for soothing the redness. It’s almost as if it was designed for very irritated but very delicate baby skin. It calms redness and the balm lasts a long time.
Soothing and Straightforward Products for Your Face
A Simple Yet Luxe Face Cream
Jadey Co-Founder Michelle Reiss used this Kiehl’s classic face cream all throughout treatment, and found it so reliable and moisturizing when her skin was at its most sensitive–especially at night. It’s got that perfect balance: thick enough to feel luxurious, but lightweight as soon as it’s applied into the skin, and never greasy. At a time when you need gentle ingredients, but also something that feels special goes a long way, this is a perfect option.
A Neat Little Set to Reset Your Routine
Tower 28 products are created especially for sensitive skin. This set of full-sized bottles is a pretty complete replacement for your old favorite skin products (that might be newly irritating). It has a gentle gel cleanser (that’s effective enough to remove makeup and stubborn mineral sunscreen), a facial spray to calm irritated skin throughout the day, and an ultra-hydrating, gentle moisturizer. (This set also makes a really nice gift.)
A Reliable, Sensitive-Skin-Friendly Cleanser
Soap-free cleansers are good for sensitive skin because soaps, which are alkaline, tend to throw off your skin’s slightly acidic pH balance. This can leave your skin a little on the drier side. Mild, soap-free cleansers avoid this problem by working with your skin’s natural pH. A soap-free, fragrance-free, and gentle cleanser like this one from Vanicream can keep your skin clean without overly disrupting it.
Classic Baby Oil as Makeup Remover
We love this classic baby oil as a make-up remover substitute when our skin is really angry. It’s got a tiny bit of fragrance, but this is a super gentle formula, even for extra sensitive skin like around your eyes.
A Moisturizing Cleansing Oil
An oil-based cleanser can be an invaluable tool in your skincare routine. While water-based cleansers effectively remove sweat and dirt from your face, oil cleansers bind to and break down oil-based makeup and sunscreen, which can be particularly helpful for removing stubborn mineral sunscreen. You don’t have to follow an oil cleanser up with a “normal” cleanser—especially if you have dry, sensitive skin. Formulated for dry skin, this cleansing oil from La Roche-Posay is gentle for use on your face and body.
When Washing Your Face Feels Impossible: There’s a Spray Toner
We love this mist as an almost-replacement for washing your face when you're too exhausted: simply spray and absorb. And from a brand beloved by dermatologists.
A Tinted, Gentle Sunscreen
Beloved by Jadey readers and dermatologists alike, Supergoop!'s broad spectrum sunscreen protects your skin, goes on lightly; and the tint adds an often much-needed glow when you're less than rosy during treatment. Mineral sunscreen tends to be gentler on sensitive skin; the tint minimizes the white cast characteristic of all mineral sunscreens.
