Skin Alterations Caused by Chemotherapies and Cosmetic Strategies for Soothing These Effects: A Review

Abstract

Cancer is a set of more than one hundred diseases caused by the development of malignant tumors, formed by cells that stand out for their uncontrolled division, altered response to growth factors, increased longevity, changes in function and structure, less intracellular adhesion and ability to invade other tissues in the body. One of the most used treatments currently against these diseases is chemotherapy. It attacks cells that have high rates of division and, therefore, its side effects are felt especially in tissues that naturally present this characteristic, such as skin, nails and hair. Since the affected tissues are deeply linked to beauty and self-esteem, it is necessary to seek alternatives to mitigate the negative effects of the treatment to increase the quality of life of the patients subjected to it. Based on this theme, the objective of this study is to review the physiology of the skin, how malignant tumors appear, the cutaneous side effects of chemotherapy treatments, cosmetic actives present in the Brazilian market indicated to alleviate these effects and suggest the formulation of products for palliative treatment of patients undergoing cancer treatment.