OT: Has Anyone Done the Chemotherapy Face Burn

I went to a new Dermatologist now that I'm in Florida for my annual checkup. My whole family has poor skin etc.... I have a few hundred moles on my back and elsewhere and a lot of skin tags etc... Such is life.

The Doc has prescribed-> FLUOROURACIL 5% CREAM
You put it on twice a day for 14 days (in my case) and it slowly eats away layers of skin on you face and leaves new and improved fresh skin.

"Chemotherapy cream kills cancer cells in the skin. Because the body is less able to absorb the cream into the deep layers of the skin, it typically causes fewer side effects than oral or intravenous chemotherapy. This may make chemotherapy cream a suitable choice for early stage skin cancers and precancers."

Here is one of many videos on YouTube if you've never heard of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzyhrsrm1vq

And while the Doc office does arm twisting with Medicare, the biopsy from my nose came back as positive for cancer... It isn't melanoma, but I forgot to write the name down... Doc is sending me to a Surgical Dermatologist who will slice away until she gets down to non infected skin... The area is the size of a pencil eraser. OH THE JOYS of Getting Older.

Anyway - has anyone been here before?!?!?

I think the nose thing is squamous carcinoma.

Thanks Island. Hope I'm as lucky.

Steve, do you know whether this cream works on seborrheic keratosis? (Or is it keratoses?)

Steve: Crap, who knew that squamous cell could arise in a seborrheic keratosis?!?! Glad your dermo did!

I've had things zapped in the past without any problems. They do tend to grow back after a while. My new dermo must be too gentle with the freezing spray because the things she zapped did not fall off completely. The cream sounds like a great idea and I'll ask her next time.

Thanks for the info--and I hope your squamous is resolved easily and quickly.

I was prescribed the Fluoroucil several years ago and my pharmacist talked me out of using it based on his experience and anecdotal evidence from people he provided the cream to. Rather, he referred me to the Photodynamic (PDT) light treatment. I have had three procedures over the last decade and it has worked wonderfully.

While I am glad a few had a good experience with the cream, most do not. For many it is a living hell. Google the treatment and look for images. There are also several people on YouTube that have chronicled their experiences. When I quizzed my dermatologist she admitted that most her patients could not complete the full regimen. I asked her about the PDT and she remarked that they didn’t have the treatment light and referred me to a dermatologist that does the procedure. I have been with him ever since. I have a long history of bad moles and have had several atypical pre-melanoma lesions removed. Also the usual freezing routine twice a year.

With the PDT the provider paints the affected area with a cream that you can not feel. The cream is activated by light. You then cover the area for a couple of hours while the cream penetrates the sun damaged cells and leaves the healthy ones alone. Then a light (either red or blue) is applied for about 15 minutes and it activates the cream and literally explodes the bad cells. During this time the skin feels very hot and the provider has a fan blowing on it and spritzes ice water on the skin. When the light is turned off, there is no heat sensation. For 48 hours you remain light sensitive and should stay away from direct light and sunlight. After that you appear to have a very mild sunburn for a few days and skin will peal and flake off so an aloe lotion is applied. Never any pain or burning.

You usually do two procedures a couple of weeks apart. So instead of a month of discomfort, just 15 minutes or so. The real plus is that it is more effective than the Fluorourcil and treatments last much longer according to several studies. I have gotten about four years between treatments to effectively control the actinic keratosis. This is about double the time for the cream according to several different studies over the last 15 years.

So my advice is to ask the dermatologist why he doesn’t suggest PDT, or find one that does.

Thanks guys.

JNF...I'll look into that.

Post Edited (Steve n Dallas) : 2/12/2022 7:31:48 AM (GMT-7)

Have to say how much I love you guys.... This site just never ceases to amaze me.

My head is spinning after researching the procedure that JNF recommended.

Jack - Luckily I never used baby oil....Have known people that did..,.. My new Dermo zapped a spot on the back of my hand Wednesday and it looks like death warmed over...

For what it's worth, I've been a big fan of Consumer Reports Magazine and dot com. Here is there #2 suntan lotion recommendation that I've been using for the past many years.

Equate (Walmart) Ultra Lotion SPF 50
Type: Lotion
"Although it doesn’t fully deliver on its SPF 50 label in CR’s testing, this Equate lotion provides solid broad-spectrum protection. It has a tropical/coconut aroma with baby powder notes. It also left a sheen and a sticky, slightly greasy film on testers’ skin."

It's five bucks.... the #1 stuff was 35 bucks...

I did the Fluoroucil (Carac, 5FU) on the face thing about fifteen years ago for AK's, Actinic Keratoses. It had to be repeated but no probs since then. AFAIK it is not used for SK's, seborrheic keratosis, of which I have many. They peel off but grow back eventually. Being nearly bald I get many spots burned off the top of my head, and have had a few basal and squamous carcinomas removed surgically. I don't count them as surgeries.

Last week my dermo froze a spot on my thumb which she had also cryo treated two years ago. I'm thinking the Carac might have been more appropriate. She said if it comes back again then she'll cut it out. What I don't understand is, why my thumb?

Living in a retirement community in Florida I see a lot of people, mostly men, with some really ugly spots on their ears and noses, so I always wear a hat when outdoors. I hate sunscreen so during spring and summer try to stay indoors between noon and 4PM.

Hey Steve in Dallas, again, welcome to the Florida Suncoast!

Steve n Dallas said...
I'm in Largo if any of you Florida guys are ever passing by and or want to meet up.

I joined a private Facebook support group yesterday... They have a little over 5,000 members... I'm only reading and taking notes so far.

I'm up in Countryside, between Dunedin and Safety Harbor. We have a storage locker down in Largo on Starkey near Ulmerton. It's a bit cheaper there than up here in the "high rent" district. We go to Treasure Island often so it's on the way.

I avoid prostate groups on FB except one survivors group that is well moderated. Also one for vets, though I may have left that one. There are always too many RT vs RP arguments going on and I'm trying to put this behind me.

But I do admin several cancer related groups on FB because none previously existed... one for the AMS800 AUS and another for pelvic radiation disease. If you want to shoot me a PM or friend req on FB my profile name is facebook.com/roblec