skin discoloration during chemo

ketziah35
ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My mother received her first chemo treatment this weak and has noticed her skin turning black in some areas. She is af american. Is this normal?

Comments

  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #2
    Gosh
    I really have no idea. George did not have any skin color change during chemo but he is white. You could sent luv3jay and Eltina21 a personal message and perhaps they can be of more assistance. They are African American women.

    Take care - Tina
  • christinecarl
    christinecarl Member Posts: 543 Member
    #3
    my mom had this
    It was sort of like freckles, she was white. I did not have this, but I did have my skin breakout, hadn't had acne since I was a teen but did during chemo.
  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #4
    My skin darkened
    I don't remember when I noticed it, I noticed darkening of the skin, mostly hands and feet, some of which remains 2+ years after stopping chemo. I understand that this is pretty common. I'm white.

    However, anything that occurs should be mentioned to her dr, to ensure that we are talking about "normal" side effects.
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #5
    it's referred to as tanning
    She'll probably notice it more in areas that sweat more than others, palms of hands, soles of feet, creases of the skin. It does go away after chemo stops, at least it did for me; although "age spots" haven't gone away. I have olive skin tone.
    mary
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #6
    msccolon said:

    it's referred to as tanning
    She'll probably notice it more in areas that sweat more than others, palms of hands, soles of feet, creases of the skin. It does go away after chemo stops, at least it did for me; although "age spots" haven't gone away. I have olive skin tone.
    mary

    I do...
    ...Get that skin tanning as well in certain places. No idea where it comes from, but wish it would look like an all around tan!!!

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna
  • bdee
    bdee Member Posts: 304
    #7
    Skin discoloration
    I am on 5FU, Avastin, Louvecorin (I never remember how to spell that) and CPT-11. After three treatments the back of my fingers are a really dark brown. I'm white. Oh, yeah, and all my freckles, moles and scars turned dark brown.

    Debbie in Arkansas
  • luv3jay
    luv3jay Member Posts: 533 Member
    #8
    My palms and the soles of my
    My palms and the soles of my feet turned pitch black while I was on the 5fu. It was horrid. I would be embarrassed to hand other people things. This one cashier asked me if I worked with an ink press. I was like *uhhh..no!* anyway, my regular color has come back. Oh and I remember going to the pool and I didn't have my swim shoes on...I got the worse stares from people. It was awful.

    Sheri
  • Madre
    Madre Member Posts: 123
    #9
    luv3jay said:

    My palms and the soles of my
    My palms and the soles of my feet turned pitch black while I was on the 5fu. It was horrid. I would be embarrassed to hand other people things. This one cashier asked me if I worked with an ink press. I was like *uhhh..no!* anyway, my regular color has come back. Oh and I remember going to the pool and I didn't have my swim shoes on...I got the worse stares from people. It was awful.

    Sheri

    "tan" look
    During chemo my friends use to say "you look so tanned" actually chemo burn. I went to "Look good Feel Better" through the cancer society and they say chemo will change your skin color and they show you ways to apply make up to "fix" it. After chemo I got a jufa and a body scrub from Bath & Body works and got most of it off, but I think it was like a tan that kills the top layers of skin then you need to exfoliate. for me I was ok with it because I had chemo in the summer and I couldn't go out in the sun, but my skin looked like I did. But just to be on the safe side, I would just confuirm with the docs all is ok.

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