My Dad has terrible burns from radiation. Any suggestions to help?

Hi @mimz59, welcome. @marykaym63 @beman @starrlight are a few members who have mentioned radiation burn in the past and may be able to provide their experiences and solutions. @alpaca may have some thoughts too.

Mimz, what has the radiation oncologist or therapists suggested for the burns? It must be so painful and difficult for him to get sleep.

Hi, the radiation oncologist recommended that I use Domeboro which can be purchased over the counter and I followed the instructions on the package. Depending on how bad the burn is, there is also something that the radiation oncologist can prescribe. When I was at Hope Lodge, several people were using a prescription strength product. Make sure you talk with the doctor to see what they recommend. Then as it got better, They had me use Aquaphor—this can also be purchased over the counter. Good Luck. Mary Kay. ,

Thank you so much for the info.We have been using Aquaphor and has not helped.We will try the Domeboro...

Thank you so much for adding me to other groups.We are using Aquaphor.We also got some 4% lidocaine cream over the counter.He was going to try to sleep sitting up.

My husband received very high dosages of radiation (5 days/week for 6 weeks) for base of tongue and lymph node cancer in his neck in the summer of 2017.The skin burns were very significant. May I pass along a treatment suggested by our radiation oncology nurse. Take 1 part white vinegar mixed with 4 parts water, soak a white cotton cloth and wring out excess ( I cut up men's white 100% cotton t-shirts). Place on burnt area for 15 minutes, remove and let area air dry. I am not lying...it does sting!!!, but gets better! Then liberally apply 1% Silver Sulfadiazine Cream (prescription). Do this 4 times a day. Be sure you use very clean cloths and a clean shirt every time. Within 3 weeks burns were completely healed. Check with your radiation oncologist before using this. Our nurse has 25 years of experience in this field and knows a lot of "out of the box" treatments. Aquaphor was no help for him. Good luck!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!! We have a home health nurse coming tomorrow to evaluate his burns.We will ask the Drs on Monday.Thank you again.I will keep you updated.

My radiation oncologist prescribed a cream that contained silver to treat the burns I experienced in the area where my breast joined the chest wall (that was 18 years ago, so I don't recall the name of it).

Thank you so much for the info.I bet it was silvadene.Thanks again so much..

Hi, I'm the wife of a cancer head/throat cancer. When my husband started get the radiation burns, he used Aquaphor. We went through tons of tubes, but we found that if you kept them in the refrigerator it helped with cooling down the site faster. My husband also found it was easier for him to sleep in his recliner then laying down in bed. Even tho we are done with chem/radiation so far, he hasn't' returned to sleeping in the bed yet. We go next week for a PT Scan and cancer doctor followup on Fri to see if the cancer is still there and treatment worked.

@mimz59 Hope your dad gets relief from his burns and that he is on his way back to health.

Saw this on breastcancer.org for radiation burns--If your skin forms a blister or peels in a wet way, leave the top of the blister alone! The bubble keeps the area clean while the new skin grows back underneath. If the blister opens, the exposed raw area can be painful and weepy. Keep the area relatively dry and wash it with warm water only. Blot the area dry and then apply a NON–ADHERENT dressing, such as Xeroform dressings (laden with soothing petroleum jelly) or "second skin" dressings made by several companies. To relieve discomfort from blistering or peeling, take an over-the-counter pain reliever, or ask your doctor for a prescription if you need it.

Also, ask your doctor for a stronger steroid cream available by prescription. Examples include 2.5% hydrocortisone cream and bethamethasone.