Prevention and Treatment of Radiation Induced Skin Damage

Radiation Induced skin Damage is a very known side effect of Radiation Therapy, and sometimes is given the name of Radiation Dermatitis, referring to the skin inflammation that happens eventually during and at the end of radiation therapy treatment.

Radiation Induced Skin Damage can be related to many factors such as the Radiation Therapy dose, number of Radiation Sessions, type of Radiation Therapy Energy ( Lower energies cause more reactions as compared to the higher energies with are safer on the skin than the lower energies, this is simply because lower energy radiations creates lots of reaction at the skin surface as compared to the higher energy radiation which penetrate s deeply under the skin.

Radiation Dermatitis range from simple redness of the skin to diffuse intense redness, then in severe conditions, skin dryness then peeing happens before damage to a deep underlying structure. The severer the Radiation Damage, the more is the permanent skin damage and hence the more difficult is its treatment. There are some areas of the body that are more prone to the Radiation Skin Damage such as Breast area and Head and neck and the pelvic areas. These locations tend to develop more skin reactions as compared to other areas because they have (air gaps) which are spaces that contain more air (e.g. in the undersurface of the breasts and under the chin in head and neck cancers) whereby these locations develop a relatively higher Radiation Therapy doses due to the lack of Radiation Attenuation .

 

How to Prevent / Treat Radiation Dermatitis?

There are many recommendations as to help avoid or reduce the possibilities of Radiation Dermatitis such as wearing loose cloths (to avoid friction with the skin ), avoidance of applying Synthetic Creams or Shampoos on Radiation areas, and avoidance of exposure to excess heat . The use of topical steroids (Cortisone) was the standard of medical practice for many years. However, more  Research on the Natural Health Products revealed that, the use of the Natural Products Calendula and Aloe Vera was very effective not only  in prevention of Radiation Dermatitis, but also on mitigating these effects once they start with the Radiation Therapy Treatments.  

If you need more details about this subject click this link https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00520-006-0063-4 

 

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