Sunburns after Rads?

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butterflylvr
butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
in Breast Cancer #1
I was wondering since my rads will be completed July 1st, will my radiation site be sensitive to sunlight well into summer? Do I need to stock up on sunscreen?

Thanks,
Lorrie

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  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #2
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    YUP!
    Yes~Yes and Yes! I had a lot of rads (16 weeks) over an 18 month period. I was told to stay out of direct sunlight for six months and to keep that area covered. I have a pool in my yard so I was told to wear a t-shirt and sun screen when in the pool. It has been 10 years and the rad site still occassionally will act up. Just be extra careful with that area during the hot months, it will be better next summer.

    RE
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #3
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    YES!!!!!!!!!!
    I was told to keep the area covered and use sunscreen. (I already use sunscreen because I can burn in 20 minutes.) I"m thinking of investing in some new stock on Wall Street. lol
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #4
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    i was told to keep sun
    i was told to keep sun screnn and make sure my shirts cover area completely..I wore a tank top one day to Dr and he said that I needed T-shirt with sleeves or complete coverage of area...

    Denise
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #5
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    disneyfan2008 said:

    i was told to keep sun
    i was told to keep sun screnn and make sure my shirts cover area completely..I wore a tank top one day to Dr and he said that I needed T-shirt with sleeves or complete coverage of area...

    Denise

    Thanks Ladies
    I am sun worshiper, so I will listen to your good advice. One of my friends has a in-ground pool and we girls spend lots of time eating, swimming and giggling (okay maybe a few drinks too...lol). I guess I will need to buy a swimsuit cover-up or use a baggy t-shirt this summer.

    Great advice, thanks
    Lorrie
  • LoveBabyJesus
    LoveBabyJesus Member Posts: 1,679 Member
    #6
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    This is helpful ladies,
    This is helpful ladies, thanks for sharing!
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #7
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    LoveBabyJesus said:

    This is helpful ladies,
    This is helpful ladies, thanks for sharing!

    Yes here too!
    My radiation oncologist was very specific about this with me: He told me for ONE YEAR after completing treatment, to wear sunscreen on the treatment area if I was going to be in the sun for any prolonged length of time (i.e., long walks, swimming, gardening, sitting at a baseball game, etc.).

    I don't make a habit of appearing topless in public :-), so thought he was kind of nuts, but he was adamant that a bra and t-shirt was NOT enough protection, that I needed to use sunscreen as well.

    Traci
  • NJMom10
    NJMom10 Member Posts: 176
    #8
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    TraciInLA said:

    Yes here too!
    My radiation oncologist was very specific about this with me: He told me for ONE YEAR after completing treatment, to wear sunscreen on the treatment area if I was going to be in the sun for any prolonged length of time (i.e., long walks, swimming, gardening, sitting at a baseball game, etc.).

    I don't make a habit of appearing topless in public :-), so thought he was kind of nuts, but he was adamant that a bra and t-shirt was NOT enough protection, that I needed to use sunscreen as well.

    Traci

    Very helpful ladies!
    Thanks for posting this question because it has been on my mind too! I'm finishing at the beginning of June so the whole summer will be ahead of me. Sunscreen and coverups sounds like the best bet!
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #9
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    NJMom10 said:

    Very helpful ladies!
    Thanks for posting this question because it has been on my mind too! I'm finishing at the beginning of June so the whole summer will be ahead of me. Sunscreen and coverups sounds like the best bet!

    Thought I should add...
    I finished radiation in the dead of winter, so my discussions with my radiation oncologist about summer activites and sunscreen were for months down the road.

    It was about a month after finishing rads before he cleared me to use ANYTHING on the treatment area other than his prescribed lotions. I'm betting that would have included sunscreen.

    For those of you who are finishing rads in the summer, I'm thinking you may have to stay out of the sun altogether for a few weeks to a month after finishing, because sunscreen may be too harsh to use on your skin for awhile -- definitely ask your rads oncologist or nurse before using sunscreen on the treatment area.

    Traci
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #10
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    TraciInLA said:

    Thought I should add...
    I finished radiation in the dead of winter, so my discussions with my radiation oncologist about summer activites and sunscreen were for months down the road.

    It was about a month after finishing rads before he cleared me to use ANYTHING on the treatment area other than his prescribed lotions. I'm betting that would have included sunscreen.

    For those of you who are finishing rads in the summer, I'm thinking you may have to stay out of the sun altogether for a few weeks to a month after finishing, because sunscreen may be too harsh to use on your skin for awhile -- definitely ask your rads oncologist or nurse before using sunscreen on the treatment area.

    Traci

    You bring up a very valid
    You bring up a very valid point Traci. Thank you... I will definitely run things by my RO before doing anything stupid. I guess I will have a farmers tan this year. LOL

    Lorrie
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #11
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    TraciInLA said:

    Yes here too!
    My radiation oncologist was very specific about this with me: He told me for ONE YEAR after completing treatment, to wear sunscreen on the treatment area if I was going to be in the sun for any prolonged length of time (i.e., long walks, swimming, gardening, sitting at a baseball game, etc.).

    I don't make a habit of appearing topless in public :-), so thought he was kind of nuts, but he was adamant that a bra and t-shirt was NOT enough protection, that I needed to use sunscreen as well.

    Traci

    My rads oncologist said he
    My rads oncologist said he would prefer for me to never get sun in the rad area again. But, he knew I would. So, he asked that I wait a year at least and to wear sunscreen and make sure it is covered by clothes.


    I do get sun in the rad area now and have been doing fine.
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #12
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    RE said:

    YUP!
    Yes~Yes and Yes! I had a lot of rads (16 weeks) over an 18 month period. I was told to stay out of direct sunlight for six months and to keep that area covered. I have a pool in my yard so I was told to wear a t-shirt and sun screen when in the pool. It has been 10 years and the rad site still occassionally will act up. Just be extra careful with that area during the hot months, it will be better next summer.

    RE

    Yes Lorrie, stock up on
    Yes Lorrie, stock up on sunscreen. lol I was to stay out of the sun for at least 6 months and to always make sure I had sunscreen on and was covered. You still need to be careful with the area that had rads as rads are cumulative. So, other than that, enjoy your summer!


    Sue :)
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #13
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    Noel said:

    My rads oncologist said he
    My rads oncologist said he would prefer for me to never get sun in the rad area again. But, he knew I would. So, he asked that I wait a year at least and to wear sunscreen and make sure it is covered by clothes.


    I do get sun in the rad area now and have been doing fine.

    Hi Lorrie
    I finished rads last August and just came back from a Carribean cruise. I was radiated not only on my breast but also the axilla and collarbone on that side (I had 10 positive nodes in the axilla). I have to say, even though I did really well with rads and didn't blister or anything, my skin is still very, very sensitive to the sun. I always use a 50+ sunscreen, but even with that, I could feel the sun burning me. So, I stayed covered in that area and tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. It all worked out just fine--and even with 50+ sunscreen, I still got tanned!

    Hugs, Renee

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