Sun damage

[Badamateur]

Like many over 70 I have extensive solar keratosis on arms and shins from exposure to sun when sailing etc. It is unsightly, and my question is could it transform to anything more serious? I am treating it with 5FU daily at present, causing reddening but no other visible change.

[Dr Juber Hafiji]

Hi there,
Being a sailor, you clearly have been exposed to the elements.
Efudix cream is not unreasonable to deal with the actinic (sun) damage that you have developed.
When treating sun damage on the face, the reaction to efudix tends to be more predictable and reliable than of the face. So for my patients, I recommend using Efudix cream twice a day for 6 weeks followed by an antiinflammatory cream daily for a week. I would however follow the recommendations that you were given by your healthcare professional.
Being in your 70s and an avid sailor and not developing a skin cancer tells me something about you - that you have good genes! However, the more sun damage you have, the greater the risk of you developing non melanoma skin cancers like Squamous Cell Skin Cancer. Go to www.dermnetnz.org and www. bad.org to see what they look like.
Hope that helps!
Dr Juber Hafiji