My Dermatology visit - YouLookFab Forum

Three weeks ago I saw the dermatologist for my sort of annual visit. (Sometimes I let more time go by.) Everything looked pretty good, except I showed her a small rough spot on my upper chest. She was going to zap it with liquid nitrogen, but decided instead I should use flourouracil (chemotherapy) cream instead. I've had to treat a number of pre-cancers (actinic keratoses) before, and a couple of years ago I had a small basal carcinoma on my nose.

After a few days the spot turned red, showing that it indeed needed to be treated. The cream also seeks out nearby problems and causes them to light up, and apparently works through the bloodstream to find other spots. Within a few days I had an area on my chest (the V neck) diamond shaped about 3 1/2 by 3 inches, and two spots on my upper forehead.

You have to use the cream as long as you can stand it--2-4 weeks. In my case, 2 1/2 have weeks is normal. The result: red, raw, burning, itching skin. I am done with it now, except that I have new red spots to be treated at the base of my neck on one side.

What is annoying about this is I don't want to expose it to view, but having even a thin tee shirt covering it up is driving me nuts. At night it itches and drives me nuts.

So: The moral of the story I wish to make is this: Don't forget to put sunscreen on your upper chest, your cleavage, and whatever skin is exposed. Many many times I diligently covered my face and hands, but was wearing a shirt or V neck and forgot the chest.

When I was a kid, I was "prescribed" lots of sunshine. I was diagnosed with rheumatic fever at a time when antibiotics weren't widely used or even available. I needed that vitamin D so much that in the winter my folks put a sunlamp on me, mostly focused on my upper body. As a teenage my friends and I would take turns baking in each other's back yards (I never did get a decent tan) and on the 4th of July my family always went to the beach and got sunburned.

We know so much better now.

11 years ago

Glory

Veteran

Ah MsMaven this is such excellent advice on sunscreen. My childhood was also prescribed large doses of sun for Bronchiectasis. I am very very fair on top of it.

I have not heard of the cream before but have had many suspicious items burned off. When you say it highlights areas to be treated, does that mean they now need to be burned off, or you now apply the cream to those spots?

I did have facial surgery last August - another reminder not to forget a hat and sunscreen.

Hoping your itching and redness goes away quickly.

(website)

Hope you feel better soon.
I did a lot of sun in the 70's but then kind of left it alone in the mid 80's and beyond. Then I started running 7 years ago. In Florida sun. I now have the melasma and sunspots to show for it. Boo. Some IPL photofacial treatments this year has me extra sunscreen aware, to keep those $$$ protected! My BF is a redhead and has had spots removed several times over the years. They cut them I believe. Never heard of the cream treatment you described. I think I'd prefer the knife!

JAileen

Because I live at elevation, suspicious spot removal is a growth industry in my town. Good luck to you and thanks for the reminder of the importance of sunscreen. Just last night I heard of edible sunscreen on David Letterman. I wonder if that's true?

Suz

Wow, I am sorry you have been suffering with this! But what a good reminder, and how smart of you to nip things in the bud. I had not heard of this cream.

MsMaven

Glory--the cream itself is the treatment. The brand name is Efudex, but now the generic is available. Once you reach the "can't stand it any more stage," you let it heal--it takes 2-3 weeks or more depending on your skin. It doesn't work on other types of sun damage such as brown spots or freckles.

Mo--my DH, who grew up near the beach in SoCAl, went with me and had his spots burned off on the top of his head. He's now mostly bald and went out too much without sunscreen or a hat. (I kept reminding him, but he'd say when he would sweat the sunscreen would melt into his eyes.)

The liquid nitrogen treatment also leaves scabs, burning and itching until it heals.

JAileen, I grew up in the Rockies and then moved to So Cal. And I'm English and Scandinavian heritage, so pretty thin skin. I haven't heard of edible sunscreen, but there was some talk a while back of some kind of pill you could take that would provide protection. Not sure if that worked out.

After consulting with the dermatologist I now use Retin A as much as I can. She says it isn't known for sure if that actually works to destroy the incipient cancer cells, but it's worth a try. I can't tolerate it every day though.

Thistle

I am so glad you had this taken care of. Smart of you to do it early and be so vigilant.

I too am fair skinned, but I have lived in cold or rainy climates most of my young life before sunscreen became a thing. I hadn't much thought of cleavage before, though. Thanks for the tip!

Jeanie

Wow, that's kind of amazing that a cream can find other spots on you. Sounds very uncomfortable but glad you were able to find all the spots. I am curious about Retin A. I found that it burned my skin a bit and if I recall correctly, doesn't it make you more sensitive to the sun?

Yes Jeanie--Retin A makes you more sun sensitive so it is suggested you use it at night. Apparently that is a temporary state, but please take care.

I continue treating the red areas on the base of my neck--definitely needed to take care of this. Not comfortable, but not horrible either. I will continue 2-3 more days and then let it go until fall. I have an important wedding coming up in a few weeks!

gardenchick

MsMaven so sorry you've had to go through this, but thank you for the reminder! Timely since we've spent a weekend away in a hot, sunny spot. It feels good to be somewhere warmer than our (often foggy) home, but need to watch out for that sun, too.

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