Skin cancer: Has anybody had fluorouracil treatment?

Thanks for your answer. I am stopping treatment today and hope to see some improvement soon.

I have been told to do a 2 week course of Fluorouracil 5% cream all over my face for two weeks. My doctor did not really explain how much to put on, but said that it would get really red and sore. I went home to wait to start it till after the holidays and I have been reading a lot about it and seeing different blogs and now I am terrified to use it. I have to work in retail and I’m scared of how bad it’s gonna look doing my whole face. Any advice. Thank you.

@steverobin Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! As you may have read here with the responses from others, there can be a wide range of responses when using this cream. My suggestion is to not use very much at all. Yes, you will most likely get red and sore spots on your face where the cream is working on precancerous spots. You might or might not be able to even see these spots yourself.

This cream is a tool to use against the development of future/additional precancerous spots. A suggestion I have for you, is to start this on your day off. Get used to the feelings. Get used to the way your face will look in the mirror. Use a gentle facial wash in between the once daily application of the cream. Prepare yourself for people commenting, perhaps, "Are you okay?" "What happened to your face?" Let this be a teaching moment, and explain you are treating your face for a precancerous condition, and from here on out you will be very diligent about sunscreen. I bet that would make you feel a bit better about yourself, helping others.
Ginger

I have had 5 MOHS surgeries on my face and want to avoid more scarring. When I get a precancerous looking spot I use the Fluorouracil 5% liquid. It has worked well for me but it was never all over my face as you mention. Just one spot at a time. The spots get very red and nearly look like bleeding at the end of the course of treatment. I had no pain and was pleased to avoid more surgery. I don't think it would be pleasant to use it all over my face. A male friend of mine did this for some condition on his face and he looked pretty bad for a few weeks but it cured his problem.

Hello,
I just found this forum and really appreciate the stories. I started today my scalp treatment with 5% cream, twice a day. My dermatologist didn't explain much to me. He told me to apply the cream for an additional week once my skin flares up. So, I'm guessing to apply for approximately 2 weeks? I don't know. I'm also concerned about sleeping on my pillow and having the cream spread to unwanted areas of my face and eyes. Can I shower before bed or do you leave the cream on?
Thank you

@trk12fire Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Reading about other members' experiences can definitely help allay concerns as we travel our health journeys.

Fluorouracil treatment seems to be a fairly common thing, but there is a wide sweep of reactions to it! My experience is to apply it only to the areas indicated, not all over my face, for example. If there are any hidden spots of concern, they will react to the application. The first time, I thought I was having an allergic reaction, breaking out in angry red areas where no ointment had been applied. Nope, it indicated hidden spots that were responding! Perhaps laying a towel down over your pillow will help? And leave the cream on! Perhaps showering then applying a [very light] amount of ointment. For me, it doesn't take much to produce a response. If you are someone who moves around a lot when sleeping, you might need to adjust that for the next couple of weeks.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can explain to you? And, come back to let me know how you are doing!
Ginger

@gingerw I am presently using fluorouracil all over my chest. Nasty red and raw areas and bleeding. Should I continue to use on these areas? I’m confused.

@nancyg25 You don't mention how long you have been applying this on your chest. What has your doctor directed you to do?

The fluorouracil can indeed cause the redness, blisters, raw areas! For me, it means it is working on problem spots. Okay, many spots!! Typically I have used it for no more than 10 days to 2 weeks at any given time. And sometimes when the reactions are really nasty, I lighten how much I use. Sometimes I have had to use a bit of Vitamin E ointment over the top because the discomfort is more than I can bear.
Ginger

Thank you for your information. At this time my problem is the same as Nancy's. I'm not sure when I should stop applying the cream. I'm only on day 6 and starting to feel some discomfort and having redness (covering 30% upper scalp). I've read a mixture of time frames and my doctor wasn't specific. I was told to continue my treatment 1 week past flare up. I'm going to continue and use my best judgement.

Also, I've been wearing a bandana at night, wrapped around my head to help prevent the spread of cream to unwanted areas.