Clinical safety
Use your own team’s instructions first
Use the contact number and urgent-care advice your team gave you for new or worsening symptoms. If you are having systemic anti-cancer treatment, use the 24-hour number on your treatment alert card. Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency.
Show the team the change before covering it with another product
Skin and nail effects vary between chemotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy and radiotherapy. The treatment context changes urgency and safe care.
A useful skin record
Photographs can help if you consent and store them privately, especially when changes look different between appointments.
- Take a baseline description or private photo before treatment if the team recommends it.
- Record when a rash, dryness, pain, blister, crack, nail change or colour change began.
- Note body area, spread, itch, pain, fever and effect on sleep, walking or using hands.
- List every cream, cosmetic, adhesive, detergent and medicine used on or near the area.
- For radiotherapy, use only products and timing approved by the department for the treated skin.
- Protect cracked skin and nails from trauma and ask about work or footwear adjustments.
- Contact the treatment team promptly for a new or worsening rash on immunotherapy or targeted treatment.
Questions before adding treatment
Ask whether the appearance could signal a problem beyond dry skin.
- Is this expected for my drug or treated area, and how urgent is review?
- Could infection, allergy or an immune-related reaction be involved?
- Which cleanser, moisturiser, sun protection or dressing is suitable?
- Should any current product be paused?
- What change means contact the team immediately or seek emergency care?
Describe spread and function
Skin tone can affect how redness appears, so describe heat, pain and change as well as colour.
“Since yesterday the rash has spread across my chest and is painful enough to wake me. I am on immunotherapy and have not started any new cream.”
Notice the pattern before a rash or nail problem becomes disabling
Cancer treatments can cause dryness, rash, sensitivity, hand-foot reactions, nail inflammation, pigmentation change or effects limited to a radiotherapy area. Appearance varies across skin tones, so changes from your normal matter more than one stock photograph.
Ask what skin and nail effects are associated with the exact treatment and when they usually appear. Record the date, body area, spread, pain, itch, heat, blistering and effect on sleep or function. Photographs in consistent lighting can help the team see progression, including redness that may appear purple, grey, brown or simply darker on deeper skin tones.
Use a simple routine unless the team advises otherwise: lukewarm water, gentle unperfumed cleanser, patting rather than rubbing and a recommended moisturiser. Protect hands and feet from friction, pressure and extreme heat. Radiotherapy departments may have specific rules for products and dressings in the treatment field. Acne medicines, steroid creams, antiseptics and essential oils can worsen some reactions or mask infection if used without advice.
Nail changes can create entry points for infection. Keep nails short without cutting into corners or cuticles, use gloves for wet work and avoid artificial nails when the team advises against them. Report pain, swelling, discharge or a nail lifting from the bed. A widespread rash, blistering, mucosal sores or facial swelling needs urgent assessment, especially with immunotherapy or a recently started medicine.
A practical way through it
Use the parts that fit your situation and leave the rest.
- Learn the expected patternAsk which effects fit the medicine or radiotherapy field, when to call and whether the service has skin-tone-inclusive examples.
- Create a visual recordTake dated photographs in similar light with a size reference when useful, while also recording pain, itch, warmth, spread and function.
- Simplify productsUse only gentle cleansers, moisturisers, sun protection and dressings approved for the treatment, introducing no new active product during a flare without advice.
- Reduce friction and heatChoose loose clothing and comfortable footwear, protect hands for chores and avoid hot baths, heating pads and rubbing over affected skin.
- Protect nails and surrounding skinKeep them clean and gently trimmed, do not cut cuticles, and report separation, pus, increasing pain or redness.
- Escalate by severity and spreadContact the treatment team early for a new rash and urgently for blistering, mucosal involvement, rapid spread, fever or significant pain.
What this can look like
When a rash looks mild but spreads
After starting a targeted drug, Joan develops scattered dark, itchy patches across the chest that double in area over a day but are not bright red.
A useful response
Contact the treatment team promptly and describe the spread, itch and treatment timing.
Send clear photographs if the service has an approved route, without relying on colour alone to grade severity.
Avoid adding acne cream, steroid cream or antihistamines unless the team advises them.
Common changes
- Effects vary by medicine and by the area receiving radiotherapy.
- Tell the team promptly about any new rash.
Everyday care
- Use mild unperfumed products unless advised otherwise.
- Check with radiotherapy staff before applying products to the treated area.
When to call
- Use the 24-hour team immediately for a rapidly spreading or blistering rash.
- Call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, collapse, or mouth, throat or facial swelling with breathing difficulty.
A manageable next step
What you could do now
- Photograph a change in good light to help show progression.
- Check new products with the treatment team.
- Use the 24-hour number for a rapidly worsening rash.
Checked sources
Read the original guidance
We summarise carefully and link to the source so you can check the full, most current information. Sources were checked 9 September 2026.