General information

The British Society for the Skin Care of Immunocompromised individuals (BSSCII) has produced a comprehensive Patient Information Leaflet entitled ‘Skin Care after Transplant.’ This provides an excellent overview of skin care following a transplant and includes examples of the more common types of infections, the harmless skin lesions which can develop after a transplant, as well as the different types of skin cancer.

Barts Health has also produced excellent videos for patients.

These can be accessed here:

• The Signs of Skin Cancer
• Photoprotection (sun protection)
• Skin problems you may have after an organ transplant
• Skin problems you may experience after a transplant if you have black and minority ethnic skin

Skin cancer

Organ transplant patients have a much higher risk of skin cancer than the general population. Whilst all transplant patients are at risk, some are more likely than others to develop skin cancer. The major risk factors for skin cancer are:

• Having skin which burns and freckles easily in the sun. These patients often have blue, green, grey or hazel eyes and red or blonde hair.
• Patients with outdoor work and hobbies who have had a lot of sun exposure in the past
• Previous history of skin cancer or pre- cancerous skin lesions before your transplant
• Having your transplant after the age of 50
• The longer you have had your transplant the greater your risk

People of colour are less likely to develop the common types of skin cancer, however, it is important that you continue to regularly protect and check your skin. People born in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean are at increased risk of developing a type of skin cancer called Kaposi Sarcoma, caused by a virus called human herpes virus (HHV8), which is very common in these areas. More information about this is available in the patient information leaflet mentioned above: ‘Skin care after transplant’ and in the patient information video ‘skin problems you may experience after a transplant if you have black and minority ethnic skin’.

Understanding how to protect your skin from the sun and learning how to examine your skin to look for any changes are an important part of your ongoing skin care. Here are some online resources which you may find helpful:

• The sunscreen fact sheet
• Sun advice for skin of colour
• ABCDEasy way to check moles
• A guide to checking your skin

All patients should be offered the opportunity to be seen in a dermatology clinic for a baseline assessment and the need for ongoing skin checks will then be determined. All patients, whatever their individual risk should continue to self-examine their skin and report any concerns to their GP, transplant consultant or skin clinic so that a further assessment in the dermatology clinic can be organised, if necessary.

To learn more about skin cancer in organ transplant patients please see our Patient Information Leaflets:

• Information and Advice About Skin Cancer for Patients with an Organ Transplant
• Information and Advice on Skin Cancer for Patients Awaiting an Organ Transplant
• Know the facts about common skin cancers
• Skin cancer – general information

You should see your doctor if you have any marks on your skin which are:

• Growing
• Bleeding
• Changing in appearance in any way
• Never healing completely

Remember, if in doubt, get it checked out.