How to reduce the skin reaction to radiotherapy?

  With the increasing incidence of tumors, radiation therapy as a traditional treatment method has taken an important place in the treatment of tumors due to the updating and development of its technology. 55% of curable malignant tumors are cured by surgery (49%), radiotherapy (40%) and chemotherapy (11%). About 70% of tumor patients need radiotherapy during the course of their disease, and radiotherapy is one of the main treatments for malignant tumors. Radiotherapy has the effect of controlling and killing tumor cells in the irradiation field, but it also has some damage to normal tissues. Skin reaction is one of the main adverse reactions, which brings pain to patients, reduces the quality of life and prolongs the treatment time.  Skin reactions are graded as follows: Grade 0, no change. grade I, follicle-like dark erythema, dry peeling, decreased sweating. grade II, painful to touch or bright erythema, flaky wet peeling, moderate edema. grade III, fused wet peeling in areas other than skin folds, depressed edema. grade IV, ulceration, bleeding, necrosis.  For medical personnel, during radiotherapy, the radiotherapy plan should be precise, increasing the treatment dose to the tumor, minimizing the irradiation to normal tissues, and avoiding hot spots in the skin or adjacent skin areas.  For patients, careful care of the skin can reduce the damage to the skin. Prevention is greater than treatment, from the beginning of radiotherapy highly important.  1.Keep local clean and dry. Do not use any cosmetics and cleaning products. Topical use of triethanolamine after radiotherapy has a preventive effect.  2.Wear cotton, simple style clothes, clothes should be neat, but try to use less washing powder to wash, you can use soap or laundry detergent, rinse thoroughly when washing, avoid local residual laundry detergent. The clothes are worn backwards to avoid the friction of the clothing seams on the local.  3.Do not scratch the skin. With the increase of radiotherapy, most patients will have local itching, this time can not scratch, otherwise it will break, oozing, can use both hands to gently pat. If the site is in the perineal area, use paper to gently dip off the unclean material after toilet, do not wipe with force.  4.After radiotherapy, due to the effect of radiation, may cause local skin temperature increase, can expose local skin when indoors, breast, perineal area and other places with folds are best propped up, but avoid sunlight.  5, if a diabetic patient, to strictly control blood sugar, increased blood sugar will increase the skin reaction.  6, diet, to increase the high protein, high vitamin food, to promote local skin healing.  7, if there is redness and swelling, local sterile saline wet compresses have a certain effect.