Imiquimod

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…

Imiquimod (Aldara®) Cancer cells are not normal cells and therefore the body can recognize the change and can kill the atypical cells. Many new cancer treatments work by boosting the body’s natural immune response to help kill the atypical cancer cells. Such treatments include melanoma vaccines. Aldara, also known as imiquimod, is a topical cream…