I don't know if I was just lucky, or if it was the Biafine cream they gave me a prescription for the first day of radiation, but I never had anything worse than a sunburn. used the cream three times a day, and washed gently with mild soap. - The day I came home from the surgery, my cat waited for me to settle in bed, then sat on my stomach purring all evening, and basicly staid there through my recovery + for hours every day during radiation. Only problem I can see is that the hair does irritate my throat now, have to use the vacuum cleaner a lot. Leena