Prescribed cream

Post your questions about skin cancer and moles.

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Pammythinks
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Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2017 6:35 am
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by Pammythinks on Mon Feb 18, 2019 3:44 pm

Prescribed cream

Not sure if I name the cream .... Efudix cream contains 5% w/w fluorouracil. It says - The cream should not harm healthy skin. Treatment should be continued until there is marked inflammatory response from the treated area.

What happens if the skin breaks on an erosion. Do I stop applying?

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Dr Zainab Laftah
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Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:36 am
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by Dr Zainab Laftah on Thu Feb 21, 2019 7:58 pm

Re: Prescribed cream

Efudix cream (5-fluoruracil) is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug and works by directly destroying the sun-damaged skin cells. It is active against early forms of skin cancer and pre-cancerous skin changes. A brisk reaction is expected and we often see an intense redness with crusting. This is a good sign and indicates the cream is working. In some patients the redness and inflammation seen involves the surrounding skin and reflects sun damaged skin not yet visible known as 'field treatment'. Erosions are not typical and if you are developing sore areas I would suggest you stop treatment for a week. Once this has settled down, you can restart the Efudix to complete the course of treatment. If you have any concerns I would recommend you liaise with the Doctor who prescribed the treatment.
Dr Zainab Laftah
Consultant Dermatologist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... laftah.php

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