Aldara - mental health and how far do I spread the cream?

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Hello everyone, new here, hoping to find some support as no one has offered me any mental health support resources from the hospital, and I also have a practical question.

I am 37, so it was tough to receive the skin cancer diagnosis. Had anyone also slightly younger experienced this? How have you dealt with it psychologically? Any advice is much appreciated.

Also wondering whether anyone knows the answer to this - it says I should spread my Aldara just outside of the ‘treatment area’ of the BCC. However this area keeps getting bigger and bigger - should I keep spreading the cream outside of the now bigger ‘area’? I was also wondering whether anyone has experienced the scab falling off before the 6 weeks are up? And anything I can do to encourage it to fall off. I am 3 weeks into treatment (on my nose).

thanks everyone.

  • Hi
    I am not younger than you however I thought that my experience of having a number of BCC'S might help.

    I have treated three out of four of them so far with Aldara. Using five days a week and then leaving off for two. Mine were fortunately on my neck, temple and behind my ear. I did one of them at a time so I didn't have lots of red patches. They have all now disappeared and the skin looks normal. I started number four one week ago and after three days the two small red pimples are now about the size of a 5 p piece each one. I was informed that the Aldara does not effect healthy skin and therefore wherever the redness appears is ultimately in need of treatment.  I sympathise with you on the location of yours as my first BCC was on the tip of my nose. Mine was eventually treated with radiotherapy having been told Aldara wouldnt work. Radiotherapy worked but at a cost......but thats thats another story. I wish I had insisted on trying Aldara first as two of my neck BCC'S in my opinion were worse than the one on  my nose and Aldara has worked wonderfully well. 

    If you read the instructions and google I believe you can repeat the treatment after a period of time so perhaps consider treating the obvious area first and not spreading the cream further and let it scab and fall away. Don't rush it as if you encourage the scab to come away prematurely it may scar. Then when it settles down repeat and hopefully the originally treated area wont redden again as it as it has been previously treated. 

    I was also told by my dermatologist that if the areas became too sore, to stop after four weeks as this will likely have worked well enough.

    Please try though to discuss your concerns with whoever prescribed for you to obtain the best advise.

    I hope this helps.

    Best wishes

    Jon

  • Hi Jon,

    Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my message. I really appreciate it. Everything you said makes sense.

    Good luck with the rest of your treatment and all the best,

    Bri