Will the radiation burn my skin or cause a wound?

It’s very unlikely to cause a “burn” in the way people often think of radiation burns. The doses used in IG-SRT are controlled so that while they do kill the cancer cells, they are not so high as to cause full-thickness skin burns under normal circumstances. You may get a surface reaction – redness, peeling, maybe even a bit of weeping from the skin if it gets very irritated (akin to a strong sunburn). However, this is part of the expected reaction and healing, not a dangerous burn. We generally do not see third-degree burn-like injuries with IG-SRT. The term “radiation burn” can describe the redness and irritation that occurs, but it’s not a burn in the thermal sense. In rare cases, a small area of the skin might develop an ulcer (a sore) if the skin’s reaction is intense. This could be considered a form of a radiation-induced wound, but again it’s uncommon with the superficial doses we use, and if it happens, it usually heals with conservative wound care over time. We take precautions – like spacing out treatments and monitoring your skin – specifically to avoid any severe tissue damage. So, while your skin will likely get sore and may peel, it should not suffer a deep burn or necrosis. There will be no charred skin or anything like that – just a temporary radiation dermatitis that heals. If at any point we thought the skin was reacting too strongly, we’d adjust the plan to prevent any true “burn” injury. The gentle nature of IG-SRT is such that it treats effectively without causing major burns or lasting wounds.