I hear you, and wish there was a painless medication-free treatment, but we don’t seem to have one yet. Imiquimod (Aldara) works by irritating the tissue, thereby stimulating the body’s immune system to attack and kill the cancer cells. Think of the old exercise adage, “No pain, no gain.” My first time using imiquimod was tough—I only got through 6 of the prescribed 12-week treatment because the rawness became unbearable. Still, the lesions did shrink. The second time I used it, I was able to tolerate it much better. I applied the cream with a Q-Tip to keep the treated area as small as possible. Also, applying lidocaine cream 30 minutes prior to the imiquimod eased the discomfort enough to allow me to go to sleep. Some women say they take a week or two off to let the skin heal a bit, then resume treatment. I know how frustrated you are to be facing this, and I hope it is a tolerable option for you.