My dermatologist has me on a three week regimen of applying a topical cream of this drug to my forehead. I'm just starting week three. He warned me that I would experience redness and soreness like a sunburn.

He wasn't kidding! My forehead now looks like an angry minefield, with blotchy, scaly red spots, and a the sunburn analogy is quite apt. He has advised me to use a moisturizing lotion or Vaseline once treatment is over.

My research is the Fluorouracil is a cancer medication. In topical form, it is also used to treat pre-cancerous skin conditions. I believe I'm in the latter category, as my dermatologist has not had a positive biopsy, yet.

Apparently, this is a fairly common treatment. Has anyone had experience with it, and were your experiences common or uncommon? How is your skin health after cessation of treatment?

My dermatologist had me mix it 50/50 with Calcipotriene and apply it twice daily to my scalp for four days. It made my scalp look like hell for about a week afterwards. Then it looked pretty good for six months, after which I had a couple of places that had to be removed via mohs surgery- squamous cell carcinomas I believe they were. I told my doc I would prefer to do something that would improve my skin, not accelerate the development of cancer. She didn’t think that was funny.

Not really sure whether I will use the stuff again. As I understand it, she wants me to do it every year.

I've done the (5%) Fluorouracil treatment on my head, forehead and temples twice and experienced the sunburn like effect and had small sores develop in places where the precancerous actinic keatoses reacted to the chemical. The treated area looks more and more awful as the treatment progresses. Once the treatment is finished it only takes a few weeks for the effects of the treatment to disappear and the skin and scalp actually feel smoother and healthier. As I understand things, the fluorouracil stops the precancerous keratoses from developing into actual cancer. The dermatologist suggested that I'd be doing the fluorouracil treatment again. So far, I've had no carcinomas found in the treated areas. I have had carcinomas removed from my chest and back, however. I see the dermatologist every 6 months and am all for staying ahead of what is probably inevitable for someone with a light complexion. The fluoruracil treatments have likely saved us some future trouble.

5FU has been around, and utilized for many decades. It does a good job of removing those questionable lesions, and leaves one with smooth skin afterwards. I used a 3 week regimen this winter when the weather was cool, and less sunlight.

Good stuff