Delta Goodrem, beloved Australian singer, songwriter and actress, has teamed up with skincare brand La Roche-Posay to launch the Fight With Care initiative – which aims to raise awareness of the harsh effects cancer treatments can have on patient’s skin, as well as give patients support and solutions to those effects.
As someone who’s experienced cancer first hand, Delta – who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2003 at the age of 18 – sat down with The Weekly and shared exactly how skin can be affected by treatment.
“So many people who go through treatment go through skin irritation and dryness because their body is taking in a lot of different chemicals,” Delta explained.
“Even if you’re [treating cancer] the most holistic way you possibly can, you are still going to have reactions and symptoms to what is being pumped through your body… Essentially, if you’ve got chemo or radiation running through your body, it’s going to affect your skin; you are naturally going to have a skin irritation which is why you have to combat that with clever ways, clever teammates – that’s what I call them – the tools in your kit.”
As for what “teammates” work best for cancer patients wanting to soothe their skin, Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani, the director of dermatology at the Princess Alexandra Hospital (and who is part of the advisory board for the Fight with Care initiative) says that a simple skincare routine can help.
“Over three quarters of cancer patients grapple with severe skin side effects resulting from treatment. The severity of these side effects can even compel patients to halt or delay their therapy even though these consequences can be mitigated by implementing straightforward skincare protocols, such as cleansing, moisturising, sun protecting and using protective products.”
Obviously, skin irritations aside, suffering from cancer is an incredibly tough time.
Reflecting on 20 years ago, when she faced it, Delta advises that anyone who’s just been through cancer treatment or is in the thick of it right now, should try to plan “simple” but fun activities as that really helped her cope.
“I always say it’s – besides ‘the little things are all that matter’ – it’s about having things to look forward to… Mine was always getting a hot chocolate at the local Flower Power. When you’re in something that’s a real challenge, you need very simple things to look forward to. And you have to plan, and force yourself to go; even if on that day you don’t feel like it, do it!
“There’s a reason why some things are cliché, and until you go through a real fight, you don’t realise how much those things resonate with you.”
