Taking care in the sun when you have cancer

Some cancer treatments can make your skin more sensitive to damage from the sun. This can be temporary or permanent. During and after treatment it‘s very important to protect your skin from the sun. The amount of sensitivity will vary from person to person and will also depend on the type and dose of treatment you had.

Some chemotherapy drugs| can make all of your skin more sensitive. This can sometimes last for several years following treatment. If you’ve had chemotherapy, you can ask your doctor whether you need to take special care to protect your skin. Some people also find that their skin is sensitive to chemicals such as chlorine, and may need to avoid swimming in pools that have been treated with chlorine.

If you’ve had radiotherapy| treatment, the skin in the area that was treated will stay sensitive for many years, and you should take extra care to protect the treated area from sun exposure. You don’t need to avoid the sun completely, but it’s good to start with going out into the sun for very short periods, and if this causes no problem you can gradually increase the time you spend in the sun.

If you had radiotherapy to the whole body, the dose given is very low and shouldn’t cause a problem with sun exposure, but it’s helpful to check with your doctors before spending time in the sun.

Helpful hints – sun protection:

• Protect your face and neck with a wide-brimmed hat and always wear sunglasses (with a guaranteed ultraviolet light filter) in strong sunlight.
• Use a high skin protection factor sun cream (SPF 15–30) on any skin exposed to the sun. Follow the instructions on the bottle and reapply as recommended, particularly after swimming.
• Wear clothing made of cotton or natural fibres, as these have a closer weave and offer more protection against the sun. As the sun protection value of different fabrics varies, it's possible that you may need to use some of the other types of protection as well as covering up with clothing.
• Never allow your skin to burn.
• Stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day – usually between 11am and 3pm. Try to sit in the shade, even at other times of the day.
• If you have had radiotherapy, keep the treated area completely covered.
• Use fake tanning lotions or sprays to give yourself a tan, instead of sunbathing or using a sun-bed.