Has anyone had a “blue light treatment” on their face to remove pre-ca

Oh my! I did not an option like this was available! The indoor blue light is incredibly painful. The outdoor treatment sounds far better. I will ask my dermatologist about this. Thank you.

I called it “The Blue light special” but it’s the same thing you had. Its correct name is “Photodynamic Therapy - PDT Blue Light with ALA” but with me they used Levulan cream. They do use blue lights, thus my nickname After waiting 90 minutes for the cream to absorb I sat with a bank of blue lights wrapped around me for 17 grueling minutes. Very painful, I’m on day 6 & my face is beginning to peel. But I have all these dark spots and red spots that appeared on day 2. My original question had to do with anyone’s experience -like yours. Did your age spots, dark spots and blotchy area go away, peel off. What exactly do you mean my “excellent results”. Describe those. Thank you!

Day 21 on Fluorouracil cream. I was instructed to use from chest up to forehead for 21 days. After 14 days of agony burning on my chin, I stopped using on my chin, but continued on chest, neck, cheeks and forehead through day 15 & 16. I've gone through the gamut, burning, bleeding, scabbing even woke this morning with a scab on my upper lip which immediately came off and bled. My doctor gave me a choice, she said " if you don't want to use it, then go ahead and take the chance of getting melanoma". I don't consider that a choice! This has been excruciatingly painful and on top of that I've had many obligations and been out nearly everyday amongst people looking like a monster. I was told no makeup. I couldn't put make up on this cracked. bleeding, peeling, burning skin if I wanted to! Day 8 was my last shower....too painful. I can barely even wash my face or chest with all the raw, bleeding sores. I truly don't know if I've got the constitution to do this again and I'm positive my doc will want me to every year or two. I pray that nobody else has this much agony with this treatment. I can't stress enough to take precautions outdoors when you young. I doubt anyone living has been burned over my lifetime, I'm 67, more than I. I'm medium complexion & have had a deep, dark beautiful tan every summer since I was 13. Everyone compliments me on my tan. I'm finally beginning to wonder if it has been worth it. Yes, that's just how much I love tanning! I understand people have questioned my sanity! Now I'm questioning it myself!!!

Day 21 on Fluorouracil cream. I was instructed to use from chest up to forehead for 21 days. After 14 days of agony burning on my chin, I stopped using on my chin, but continued on chest, neck, cheeks and forehead through day 15 & 16. I've gone through the gamut, burning, bleeding, scabbing even woke this morning with a scab on my upper lip which immediately came off and bled. My doctor gave me a choice, she said " if you don't want to use it, then go ahead and take the chance of getting melanoma". I don't consider that a choice! This has been excruciatingly painful and on top of that I've had many obligations and been out nearly everyday amongst people looking like a monster. I was told no makeup. I couldn't put make up on this cracked. bleeding, peeling, burning skin if I wanted to! Day 8 was my last shower....too painful. I can barely even wash my face or chest with all the raw, bleeding sores. I truly don't know if I've got the constitution to do this again and I'm positive my doc will want me to every year or two. I pray that nobody else has this much agony with this treatment. I can't stress enough to take precautions outdoors when you young. I doubt anyone living has been burned over my lifetime, I'm 67, more than I. I'm medium complexion & have had a deep, dark beautiful tan every summer since I was 13. Everyone compliments me on my tan. I'm finally beginning to wonder if it has been worth it. Yes, that's just how much I love tanning! I understand people have questioned my sanity! Now I'm questioning it myself!!!

@edwardsruth i am currently doing a fluorouracil and calcipotriene combo treatment. The calcipotriene significantly reduces the amount of time you need to use the fluorouracil. Treatments are usually only 4-6 days (application morning and night). The healing time after is about a week. Harvard did a study on this treatment and found it to be more effective than flourouracil alone. It basically teaches your skin’s t-cells (where applied) to continue to fight precancer after the treatment. I do it every 3 years on face/neck/chest. Some people (due to skin cancer risk or previous skin cancer) do it once a year.

Hope this helps!

Thank you, yes, this is helpful. My daughter’s Melanoma, though is internal - large tumors in her lung and femur. Immunotherapy is working very effectively, thankfully. The process you are describing is topical, correct?

@edwardsruth i am currently doing a fluorouracil and calcipotriene combo treatment. The calcipotriene significantly reduces the amount of time you need to use the fluorouracil. Treatments are usually only 4-6 days (application morning and night). The healing time after is about a week. Harvard did a study on this treatment and found it to be more effective than flourouracil alone. It basically teaches your skin’s t-cells (where applied) to continue to fight precancer after the treatment. I do it every 3 years on face/neck/chest. Some people (due to skin cancer risk or previous skin cancer) do it once a year.

Hope this helps!

What do you mean by blue light therapy? I’ve had photodynamic daylight therapy with Metvix, which is not particularly painful, resolves within 7-10 days and yields excellent results.

Do you live in the US? It looks like daylight PDT is not approved in the US for use with Metvix. I'm not sure why they stopped it. But it is available in Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, 7 other European countries, and probably other locations. Hopefully the FDA will approve it soon because it's efficacy has been proven to be the same as blue/red light photodynamic therapy and much less painful. If I ever need to get it done in the near future I will definitely be going to Canada or overseas.