Everything Your Skin Needs After Treatment
While experiencing breast cancer treatment, your skin will change - and it might feel like the end of the world - when you don’t see it coming! So consider these precautions while you, or someone close to you, is undergoing treatment for breast cancer to keep skin fresh and glowing.
How to Start Your Morning Skincare Routine
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This story is part of Products We Love, a series on self-care for the breast cancer community.
Clean Beauty is Key
When choosing skincare products to use during & after treatment, pay careful attention to ingredients. Check out the Healthy Living App for product information.
A Few Quick Tips:
During treatment, the skin is more sensitive to some skincare products than others, even if it's a product that you’ve used before. The best way to know whether your skin will react well to a product is to do a patch test on the inside of the arm or behind the ear.
To prevent infection after a mastectomy, keep the skin clean and stay on the lookout for any redness, unexpected drainage, or increased pain.
Avoid endocrine-disrupting products that temporarily fix skin problems, but cause future skin problems. To do this, download the free app Healthy Living by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). With Healthy Living, you can use your phone to scan your skincare products, review their ratings, and pick the best product for YOUR skin. This will guarantee the product’s performance and safety.
Always check with your oncologist to ensure that no products are contraindicated!
If you have scarring…
Irritation
After a mastectomy, apply Aquaphor to affected areas to keep the skin hydrated and prevent irritation of the skin.
Sunscreen
Avoid direct exposure to the sun, as this can delay healing or depigmentation. We recommend sunscreen that is at least SPF 30, like the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
Facial Oils
Additionally, adding a few drops of Revive Frankincense to your body lotion or this Frankincense Roller daily can help revitalize your skin.
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If you have dry skin…
After undergoing chemotherapy, stay away from ointments and creams with fragrances or complex formulas that will react with your sensitive skin. Make sure you apply a moisturizer immediately after washing your skin to keep the skin barrier healthy and hydrated.
We recommend the Counterstart Cococream Cleanser and the Counterstart Cocoboost Moisturizer for hydrating your face.
We also suggest the Dr C Tuna Calendula Face Wash to cleanse and purify the skin without overdrying.
Aquaphor can also be applied to dry, cracked, or irritated skin to restore the skin barrier.
If you have dry hands, use the Hand Savior - Sanitizer and Serum, the Citrus Mimosa Hand Cream, or the Dr C Tuna Calendula Hand Cream to revitalize the tough, dry skin.
BeautyCounter Hand Savior - Sanitizer and Serum
BeautyCounter Citrus Mimosa Hand Cream
For dry skin on the body, try the Luminous Hydration Body Oil or the Melting Body Balm.
BeautyCounter Luminous Hydration Body Oil
BeautyCounter Melting Body Balm
If you have blistering rashes…
Farmasi Calendula Cream
Clean the area with washclothes that are made for sensitive skin, like Microfiber Towels
Avoid products with beta hydroxy/salicylic acids (BHAs), alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) like glycolic and lactic acids, and Vitamin A derivatives like retinol
Look for ointments and creams with calendula, such as the Farmasi Calendula Cream and more
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Products You Can Use Every Night To Enhance Your Skincare Routine
The Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese massage technique that is used by gently scraping the skin. This practice is designed to boost blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and encourage lymphatic drainage in order to depuff your skin.
The Gua Sha and Jade Roller Set is often used with facial oils in order to speed up muscle recovery and improve movement, as well.
Try this Amazon’s Choice Jade Roller & Gua Sha Set to relieve pain and tension in the muscles of the face.
More on Facial Massages Here: Sign up for our Newsletter to receive weekly updates!