Combination of laser toning, oral supplements, and cosmetic home care improves quality of life and skin lightness in patients with breast cancer: a prospective clinical study

Abstract Purpose We investigated the effects of a comprehensive appearance care program that combined medical interventions and daily cosmetic home care on objective skin conditions and subjective quality of life (QoL) of patients with breast cancer. Methods In this single-arm prospective study, 30 female patients with breast cancer were included. The 12-week comprehensive intervention comprised low-fluence laser toning, daily oral supplements, and continuous use of a cosmetic serum. The objective skin parameters and psychological evaluation indices were assessed at baseline and during a 12-week period. Results After 12 weeks, skin lightness significantly increased ( p = .010), and transepidermal water loss also increased ( p = .043). The Perceived Stress Scale-10 and emotional QoL (Skindex-16 emotional subscale) scores significantly improved as early as 4 weeks after intervention initiation. Furthermore, the social-functional QoL (Skindex-16 functional subscale) scores showed significant improvement at 12 weeks ( p = .014). Intervention-related adverse events (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Grade ≥ 1) were not observed. Conclusions This comprehensive appearance care intervention progressively improved objective skin lightness and patient psychological states. This study illustrated that the combination of medical and self-care approaches could be a new strategy for supportive care that addresses appearance-related distress. Future randomized controlled trials are necessary to clarify the mechanisms underlying the effects of this intervention.