I've had my first of 6 chemo sessions. I want to buy some foam hand sanitiser hand wash for each sink. No idea what to order. Can you please advise me exactly what to buy? Thank you.
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I've had my first of 6 chemo sessions. I want to buy some foam hand sanitiser hand wash for each sink. No idea what to order. Can you please advise me exactly what to buy? Thank you.
Hi Madmozza
Welcome to the Online Community here at Macmillan. I hope you find it a helpful place to access support and ask questions. My name is Vanessa, and I am one of the cancer information nurses here at the Macmillan Cancer Support Line.
I can see you have joined the chemotherapy forum. I hope that is proving useful to you as well.
I understand that you have been having chemotherapy, although it is unclear if this is to continue or if your treatment is now complete. As I am sure you know, chemotherapy can cause changes to the skin and nails and it's not clear if you have any skin changes yourself. This is an important consideration as there is a risk that frequent use of hand gels could cause skin dryness and irritation.
Within the home, handwashing would be gentler on your skin, especially if combined with a hand cream to help moisturise and protect your hands. We have some general information on handwashing and infection prevention here.
The Royal Marsden Hospital also have a helpful video which demonstrates an effective handwashing technique.
Hand gels may be more useful when you are out of the home and do not have access to handwashing facilities. You could ask your chemotherapy team or specialist nurse if they recommend any particular products.
If you are unable to contact your chemotherapy team or specialist nurse you could also speak to a Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacist. They are based in Boots pharmacies across the UK and may be able to recommend a hand gel after looking at your hands and discussing your needs.
I hope you find this information helpful. You can also always call one of our nurses directly if you want to talk over your concerns or require any further support.
Take care
Vanessa G, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
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