5-Fluorouracil

Many patients ask about the “Blue light treatment”. Why? It is commonly used to treat actinic keratosis. It is a relatively simple procedure. Let me explain. Is blue light treatment the best treatment for actinic keratosis (“pre-cancers”)? The short answer is NO in terms of cure rate. For patients with compliance issues, it may be…

Actinic keratosis is a pre-malignant condition that, if untreated, can progress to squamous cell carcinoma. In most cases, this is caused by chronic, repeated Sun-exposure. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU or Efudex or Carac) is an old treatment for actinic keratosis that has been used for decades, but is it best? In short, yes if used correctly. What…

5-Fluorouracil Cream (Efudex®, Carac®). This chemotherapy cream has been used for decades for the treatment of actinic keratosis, which are pre-cancerous growths. It is also FDA approved for the treatment of non-facial superficial basal cell carcinomas (ones that are not on the face). Treatment results in mild to severe skin irritation, appearing as redness and…