Letrozole and sun: what should you know?

Letrozole lowers estrogen production. Sun exposure is not the treatment’s intended target, and many people can spend time outdoors while taking it. Skin can still burn, become dry, or develop irritation from heat, clothing, products, or other medicines. Your full medicine list matters because another treatment may change sun sensitivity.

Protect exposed skin with shade, clothing, a hat, and a broad-spectrum sunscreen used according to its label. Avoid tanning beds. Examine new or changing marks in good light, especially if a rash, sore, or patch does not settle.

Start with shorter outdoor periods when sunlight feels strongest, seek shade, and reapply sunscreen as directed after sweating or swimming. Choose gentle, fragrance-free moisturiser if your skin is dry, and stop a product that causes burning or a new rash.

Tell your oncology team about every medicine, cream, and supplement you use. Do not stop letrozole because of a skin concern without advice. A clinician can distinguish sunburn, allergy, infection, and other causes and recommend suitable treatment.

Contact your care team for a spreading rash, blistering, peeling, painful redness, a wound that does not heal, or a new or changing mole. Seek urgent help for facial swelling, trouble breathing, widespread blistering, skin peeling, or sores involving the mouth or eyes.

Ask whether any of your other medicines increase sun sensitivity, which sunscreen and skin products suit you, whether a rash needs examination, and how to protect skin during outdoor activities in the UAE climate.