What happens to your skin during chemotherapy?

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Another common reaction to chemotherapy agents as well as prednisone is acne. This may occur because of certain classes of chemotherapy drugs (EGFR inhibitors) as well as starting and stopping steroids for prevention of chemotherapy reactions,  which can cause oil production and clogging of pores. 

If you develop a severe acne-like eruption on your scalp, face and chest, see your oncologist or dermatologist as you may be experiencing a drug reaction from your chemotherapy medication. 

Not all acne is the same and is not necessarily treated the same! There are several different types of acne and each one can have a different cause. In general I think of chemo induced acne in following forms:

Rosaca/perioral dermatitis, papulopustular acne, and hormonal/cystic acne. 

If you have a taxane based chemotherapy regimen, hand-foot syndrome can sometimes be a side effect. In this syndrome painful red swelling may occur on the back of the hands which can be associated with nail lifting(onycholysis) or shedding (oncyhomedesis). Speak with your oncologist or oncologist if you experience these signs. Icing your hands with mitts or ice water with dishwashing gloves during your taxotere or taxol treatments can help. 

Talk with your doctor if icing might be right for you. Icing your hands and feet during treatment with taxanes (taxol, taxotere) can help to decrease nail changes and possibly neuropathy. 

Icing needs to be done carefully to prevent frostbite and over cooling the hands and feet, as this may cause further damage to the hands and feet.

Icing works by constricting blood vessels in the hands and feet to decrease blood flow of chemotherapy to these areas during infusion. 

Those that have pre-existing circulation issues such as Raynaud's and scleroderma, peripheral vascular disesase should speak with their oncologist first before icing. 

Icing can be done in many ways. I used a bowl full of ice water and rubber gloves. I began icing 15 min prior, during, and 15 min after taxotere infusion with frequent breaks. For my feet, I used natra care socks and changed the ice pack every 10 min. 

See below for products available for icing.