Will IG-SRT damage the healthy skin around the cancer?

Not significantly, no. One of the advantages of IG-SRT is its ability to spare surrounding healthy skin as much as possible. The radiation is directed precisely at the tumor and a small safety margin around it. Unlike wide excisional surgery, we’re not removing surrounding tissue – we’re targeting just the area we need. The X-ray energy also only penetrates about ~5 mm into the skin and doesn’t blast the deeper tissues. Healthy skin cells in the treated zone might get a bit irritated (leading to redness or dryness), but they remain largely intact and are able to repair themselves. The skin immediately around the treatment field (just outside the radiation target) receives only a minimal scatter dose, if any, so it stays healthy and normal. In fact, while the cancerous cells are destroyed, the surrounding skin typically remains intact and helps in the healing process, which is why IG-SRT often leaves that area looking just like normal skin after recovery. To sum up, IG-SRT concentrates the damage on the cancer cells and is calibrated to avoid unnecessary harm to neighboring healthy skin – so you don’t have to worry about large areas of skin being ruined; the effect is localized to where it’s needed.