Medical Oncologist
Infection prevention
Dental and personal hygiene precautions
Because every small break in the skin is a way in. A razor nick, a torn cuticle, a cracked heel, a scratched mosquito bite — all heal without incident most of the time, and during the low-count days any of them can start a serious infection. Chemotherapy also dries and thins the skin and slows healing, so the habits need adjusting rather than simply continuing.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
Why does personal hygiene matter more during chemotherapy?
Because every small break in the skin is a way in. A nick from a razor, a torn cuticle, a cracked heel, a scratched mosquito bite — all of these heal without incident most of the time, and during the low-count days any of them can become the start of a serious infection.
The principle behind everything below is simple: keep the skin intact, keep it clean, and keep it from getting too dry. Nothing here is elaborate and most of it costs nothing.
Skin gets fragile during treatment
Chemotherapy dries the skin, thins it, and slows healing. Things that never used to break the surface now do, and cuts that used to close in a day take longer. That is why the habits need adjusting rather than simply continuing as before.
Look at the hands, feet and any line or port site daily. Most problems are visible before they are painful.
!
Go to hospital the same day
A fever, or shivering uncontrollably · redness, swelling, warmth, pain or discharge anywhere, especially around a port, line or cannula site · a red line spreading from a cut · a wound that is not healing or is getting worse · a boil or abscess · painful blisters or a rash in a band on one side of the body · a cut that will not stop bleeding. Go to the nearest emergency department and say clearly that the person is on chemotherapy. Do not start an antibiotic cream or leftover tablets from home.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe daily routine
What to change, and why
Small adjustments to ordinary habits. Each one closes a route that treatment has opened.
Shaving
Use an electric shaver rather than a blade, for the face and anywhere else. A razor nick is the classic small break in the skin, and it is entirely avoidable.
Also avoid
- Waxing and threading
- Hair removal creams on fragile skin
Nails and cuticles
Keep nails short and file rather than cut where you can. Do not push back or cut cuticles, and skip manicures and pedicures at a salon during treatment — shared instruments and broken cuticles are a bad combination.
Report any nail that is lifting, discoloured or sore. Nail changes are common and can become infected.Bathing
Daily, with warm rather than hot water and a mild soap. Pat dry rather than rubbing, and dry carefully between the toes and in skin folds where damp skin breaks down.
Moisturise, properly
A plain unperfumed moisturiser, daily, especially hands, feet, elbows and heels. Cracked skin is an open door, and dryness during treatment is the usual reason it cracks.
Feet
Check them daily, keep them dry, wear footwear indoors and out, and never walk barefoot outside. Cracked heels are extremely common here and are a genuine entry point.
Especially if
- You have diabetes
- You have numbness in the feet
The back passage and genital area
Wash with water rather than scrubbing with paper, pat dry, and wear loose cotton. Soreness here during the low-count days is a real infection risk and is worth reporting rather than enduring privately.
When the skin does break
Handling a cut, bite or scratch
Clean it straight away with soap and running water, dry it, and cover it with a clean dressing. Then watch it. Most will heal as normal; the job is noticing quickly if one does not.
What to watch for over the next days
Redness spreading outwards, swelling, warmth, increasing pain, discharge, or a red line tracking away from the wound. Any of those, or any fever, means going in the same day rather than waiting to see.
Do not reach for leftover medicines
Antibiotic creams and tablets from a previous illness are a bad idea here. They mask the early signs, they are often the wrong choice, and they make it harder for your team to work out what is happening. Report it instead.
Mosquito bites deserve a mention
Scratching a bite until it breaks is one of the commonest ways people open their own skin. Use a repellent, keep nails short, and treat the itch rather than scratching. Ask your team what is safe to apply.
Tell them about bleeding that will not stop
Platelets may be low, so a small cut can bleed longer than you expect. Press firmly for several minutes. If it will not settle, or you bruise easily or see tiny red spots on the skin, report it.
Keep a basic first aid kit — clean dressings, tape, a mild antiseptic your team has approved — where you can find it.Leave a number, we will call you
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Worth postponing
Things to leave until treatment is over
A short list of ordinary activities that break skin or introduce bacteria, and that are simply not worth doing during the months of treatment. None of them is forbidden forever.
Anything that pierces or abrades
Ear and body piercing, tattoos, and salon manicures, pedicures, waxing and threading. Shared instruments plus fragile skin plus low counts is a combination to avoid entirely.
Shared water
Public swimming pools, ponds, rivers and shared tanks. Ask your team before swimming anywhere, and do not swim at all if you have a line or port, or any break in the skin.
Anything involving soil or animals
Gardening without gloves, cleaning litter trays, and clearing up after animals. Delegate these where possible, and wash thoroughly if you cannot.
Sharing personal items
Razors, toothbrushes, towels, nail cutters and face cloths. Ordinary in most households, and worth stopping for the duration. Give the patient their own of each.
Ask before any dental work, and before any procedure that breaks the skin, including minor ones.Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how careful you personally need to be. How low your counts go, whether you have a line or port, whether you have diabetes and whether you have already had an infection all change the answer. Ask your own team, particularly about swimming, procedures and anything involving skin.
It also cannot tell you whether a particular mark on the skin matters. Rashes during chemotherapy have many causes — drug reactions, infections, dryness, and effects on the hands and feet — and they are managed very differently. Show it to someone rather than treating it from a page.
What to do next
Switch to an electric shaver. Put a plain moisturiser by the basin and use it daily on hands, feet and heels. Check feet and any line site every day. Give the patient their own razor, towel and nail cutters. And treat a fever, or any spreading redness, as a same-day matter.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about personal hygiene
Can I shave during chemotherapy?
Use an electric shaver rather than a blade. A razor nick is a small break in the skin at a time when small breaks matter, and it is easily avoided. The same applies to waxing, threading and hair removal creams, which are better left until treatment is over.
Is it safe to have a manicure or pedicure?
Not at a salon during treatment. Shared instruments and cut cuticles are a poor combination when counts are low. Keep nails short and filed at home, do not push back or cut cuticles, and report any nail that is lifting, discoloured or sore.
Can I swim?
Ask your team. Public pools, ponds and rivers are generally avoided during treatment, and swimming is not advised at all if you have a line or port or any break in the skin. The answer may differ in the good week between cycles.
What should I do about a mosquito bite I have scratched open?
Wash it with soap and water, dry it, cover it, and watch for spreading redness, swelling, warmth or discharge over the next days. Report any of those, or any fever, the same day. Use a repellent and keep nails short to stop it happening again.
Can I use antiseptic cream on a cut?
Ask your team what they want you to keep at home. Do not use leftover antibiotic creams or tablets from a previous illness — they mask early signs, are often the wrong choice, and make it harder to work out what is happening if infection does start.
How often should I bathe?
Daily, with warm rather than hot water and a mild soap. Pat dry rather than rubbing, and dry carefully between the toes and in skin folds. Moisturise afterwards — dry cracked skin is the thing you are trying to avoid.
My heels are cracked. Does that matter?
Yes, more than it would normally. Cracked heels are an entry point for infection, and they are very common here. Moisturise daily, wear footwear indoors and out, never walk barefoot outside, and mention it if the cracks are deep or sore — especially if you have diabetes.
Can I get a tattoo or piercing done?
Not during treatment. Both break the skin and introduce bacteria at a point when your body is least able to deal with either, and healing is slower. Wait until treatment is finished and counts have recovered, and ask your team when that is.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Infections and cancer treatment
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Infection and cancer treatment
- National Cancer Institute — Chemotherapy and You
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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