After radiation treatment, you may feel like you could use a relaxing vacation. And members of MyBCTeam have shared stories of doing just that.

One member said, “I finished radiation the first week of July and was in Hawaii, in the ocean, celebrating the end of treatment two weeks later.”

Some members, however, have wondered whether it’s safe to hit the water right after radiation therapy or if they need to wait.

Always talk to your oncology team before swimming or spending time in the sun after radiation therapy. In addition, you can check out a few general guidelines below on sun and swim safety after cancer treatment.

Safely Swimming After Radiation Therapy

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a little time in a pool or hot tub, especially after going through cancer treatment. You’ll need to give your body enough time to heal before taking certain risks, like exposing your skin to the sun or chlorinated water.

Depending on how much your skin was affected by radiation, you may be advised to hold off on swimming for a period of time after radiation therapy is complete. Broken skin or skin that’s blistered or peeling shouldn’t be exposed to chemicals and potential pathogens (microorganisms that cause disease, such as bacteria) in public swimming areas.

Risk of Infection

Shared pools, hot tubs, and beaches come with the risk of infection from swimming-related illnesses, especially if you have a compromised immune system from cancer and cancer treatment. Germs that spread can cause diarrhea, ear infections, or cold symptoms.

A condition known as hot tub rash can show up a few days after spending time in contaminated water. It’s caused by a type of bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Symptoms include an itchy and bumpy rash or pus-filled blisters near the hair follicles. It may clear up without medical treatment. But if your symptoms get worse, be sure to follow up with your doctor.

Best Practices for Chlorinated Pools

After swimming in a chlorinated pool, take a shower to wash off any pool chemicals. Then, apply moisturizing lotion, preferably without fragrance or dyes, to keep your skin from drying out.

Try not to hang out in your swimsuit for too long after swimming. Change into clean clothes right away, and wash your suit with soap and water after each use.

Public Water Testing

Health departments routinely inspect public swimming pools, water parks, saunas, and hot tubs for proper sanitation and safety.

Inspection results can vary by location, but data from 2013 suggest that problems are not uncommon. In one analysis of routine inspections from 16 jurisdictions in five states, about 12 percent of public pool inspections and 15 percent of public hot tub or spa inspections led to immediate closure because inspectors found at least one serious violation.

You can contact your local health department to see if the pool you’re using has passed testing. If you’re swimming in a private pool, use test strips to make sure it’s clean enough.

Why Sun Safety Is Crucial After Radiotherapy

Perhaps the bigger concern after radiation therapy is not swimming or hot-tubbing but rather spending time outdoors in direct sunlight.

Impact of Chemo and Radiation

Some forms of chemotherapy temporarily increase sun sensitivity. Chemo drugs can make your skin more vulnerable to damage by ultraviolet (UV) sun rays as a side effect. In addition, skin treated with radiation and then exposed to UV rays is more likely to develop skin cancer in the long run.

Your healthcare provider may want you to stay out of direct sun for a full year after radiation therapy. In some cases, extra protection is needed for longer time periods. The head, neck, and chest are especially sensitive treated areas.

Sun Safety Tips

Even if you’ve been cleared to go swimming right after treatment, you’ll still need to be careful about sun exposure for several months.

To protect your skin, you can:

• Cover up with long sleeves and sun-protective clothing.
• Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher.
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours.
• Seek the shade and avoid the peak midday sun.

Ask your doctor for recommendations on the best sunscreens for sensitive skin after radiation.

Additional Precautions That Can Help

Whether or not you’re ready to go to the beach or pool, you may still need to be careful and protect sensitive treated skin areas after radiation therapy. Here’s how:

• Be gentle — Avoid rubbing the area with a towel.
• Take a break from deodorant and perfume — Wait until your skin is fully healed.
• Use caution with hair removal — You may need to wait on shaving, waxing, or applying depilatory creams on sensitive skin.

Don’t hesitate to ask your doctor or radiation oncologist about skin care during and after radiation. No issue is too small to run by your healthcare team.

Making the Right Decision for You

Only you and your oncology team can decide when it’s safe to resume activities like swimming, hot-tubbing, and sunbathing after radiation therapy. Before planning a vacation or a trip to the beach, ask your doctor specific questions about what you’d like to do.

Let them know if you plan to get into a swimming pool, the ocean, or a hot tub. Even if they feel it’s safe, they’re still likely to advise you to wear sunscreen to avoid sunburns and reduce your risk of skin cancer.

You’ve already made it this far through the process of radiation therapy. And you’re probably eager to enjoy activities and outings.

Now is the time to start thinking about what you want to do for fun rather than just what you need to do to get by. Fortunately, once you get the green light from your healthcare provider, there’s no reason not to dive back in.

Join the Conversation

On MyBCTeam, people share their experiences with breast cancer, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Did you treat yourself to a vacation after cancer treatment? Let others know in the comments below.