Unnecessary Roughness: pre-skin cancer treatment

August 27, 2013 5:19 PM

What to expect from using Fluoroplex cream on my face?

So... I went to the dermatologist today and she recommended that I use Fluoroplex on my face to remove some pre-cancerous roughness (actinic keratoses).

She did say that she usually recommends that this be done either in the autumn or winter since it will make me very sensitive to sun. She also said that I will look "really rough" for a couple of weeks as I go through the treatment, and that the cream itself is "ridiculously expensive" but she gave me a manufacturer's coupon that will allegedly bring down the price to $10 for up to 6 fills.

I've looked online at photos and hoo boy! This does not look fun (although I am assured that after the treatment my skin will look sooooo good).

Any MeFites go through this? Is it as bad as it looks like? What should I expect? Is it as expensive as she says? I've seen it at $350 a tube and there's no generic. I'm supposed to put it on most of my face -- brow line to jaw, avoiding the eyes and being careful around the mouth.

I'm going to do this, but I need to prepare myself mentally for it.

Thanks!

posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

A co-worker had this he looked like living shit for a week. Just zombie-terrible. But it passed, and apparently works as advertised.

I have had two bouts of basal cell carcinoma on my face, so that cow is long out of the barn for me.
posted by Danf at 5:38 PM on August 27, 2013

My father used it. It's as bad as you fear. As in, people stop and stare.

A coworker friend had used it, and when he heard about my father he told me that he'd had the same experience.
posted by Houstonian at 5:42 PM on August 27, 2013

You didn't specifically ask, but I wanted to add -- despite the bad part, the good part is that it works. Hang in there!
posted by Houstonian at 5:51 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

My dermatologist had me use it on my nose last year. I can't remember the timeline exactly but I had to apply a very tiny amount to my nose once or twice a day for a week or two (sorry I can't remember more details). There was no major reaction the first week but then the skin started getting red. Then the skin kind of hardened and cracks appeared. Sheets start to peel off and you're eager to help them BUT DON'T...the skin underneath is super tender and sensitive...and it will probably harden and peel off too...so there really is no way to hurry the process. Once the reddening & peeling starts you might freak out a little because it will just seem to be getting worse and worse but things will start to improve. It was about a month before everything was back to normal.
posted by victoriab at 6:39 PM on August 27, 2013

I too used it (fluorouracil) a couple of years ago. It took about a week before my face began to look weirdly blotchy, and at the end of a fortnight my face was a combination of scabs and peeling red, which was the point where my dermatologist said to stop. At the end of the third week I looked pretty normal again. I work mostly from home, but avoided going to the office (or in public much) for about ten days: last part of week 2 through week 3. During the ugly phase my face felt tender and almost sore, but no actual pain.

The treatment works really well, though, and afterwards my skin was fresh and clear. I'll be enthusiastically doing it again in a few years.
posted by anadem at 9:20 PM on August 27, 2013

I used something similar on my face (not sure if exactly the same name) for near two months in VERY cold Parisian winter. Awful. In the extreme cold (a week of minus 6 centigrade) the red/dry area spread hugely. Many people stared at me and my French wasn't delicate enough to explain "removal of a pre-cancerous keratosis" so would just say it was cancer and would embarrass the store clerks for being nosy. (It was a cultural clash thing, being Anglo-Celt fresh from London where eye contact is a no-no I found it very difficult to adjust!)

The solaris keratosis went, but the skin in the area still has a certain texture to it. Only really I (and the odd wedding make up artist) can notice.
posted by jujulalia at 1:45 AM on August 28, 2013