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Actinic keratosis - advice

Jnbrlb
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Hi

I have a patch of AK between my eyebrows and have been prescribed Fluouroacil for 4 weeks.  The Dr said it will make my skin red/blistered and that I need to protect it from the sun. However, I think that suncream isn't supposed to be used on broken skin, so I may not be able to apply it in that small area?  It isn't always practical to wear a hat, so I'm unsure what I'm supposed to do? The cream was prescribed by a GP at a specialist clinic, and I don't have her contact details. 

Also, I am due to go abroad on holiday in 3 weeks' time, and don't know whether to postpone the treatment until after. On the other hand, it's a lot easier to wear a sunhat all the time on holiday, so that may be a better way of protecting my skin.  

Any advice would be appreciated.

  • Offline in reply to Jnbrlb

    Take a look on Amazon, they have a nice selection & they aren't expensive.

  • Offline in reply to Jnbrlb

    Butterfingers - I meant Angie!

  • in reply to Jnbrlb

    Hi again

    Erosion is when the skin is red and angry looking and the Efudix has burned off some layers of skin and hopefully the DNA damaged skin cells. You can apply the efudix to a slightly larger area as it mainly attacks the sun damaged skin with little or no effect on healthy skin. Yes you can put suncream on other parts of your face not being treated. You wont want to expose the treated area to the sun as iy would be very uncomfortable. A few months after treatment you skin should settle down and as healthy skin tissue regrows it will be smooth again. Wishing you a good result from your treatment.

    Ed

  • in reply to AngieT

    Hi Angie

    As people are becoming more aware of skin cancer I do notice increasing numbers protecting themselves from the sun with hats, clothing and parasols and suncream. I have a collection of large hats which I wear all the time, I have skin grafts on my head that I dont want to bump or have any exposure to the sun. I ignore the occasional comment or odd look. Ive heard the solbari UV range of hats and clothing are very good. With UK UV levels now getting up to 6 the conversation here around skin cancer is quite timely. 

    Ed

  • Offline in reply to Jnbrlb

    I can see Farmer Ed has answered re erosion It can be quite painful and doesn’t look great either but I live with that as I know it’s removing pre cancerous cells Get some Aquafor cream Amazon do it I find it’s better than Vaseline Use it on the area once you have finished with the cream as it keeps the skin supple Definitely apply sun screen on your face but definitely keep the treat area away from the sun I did the bottom of my leg last year and kept it covered and out of the sun all last summer TBH as much as I love a sun tan I am very careful now and use a gradual tanning cream instead of harmful sun rays Hope this helps I would post photos of the erosion stages I suffered but pretty certain not allowed . There are photos online just so you know what to expect and when to stop using the cream 

  • Offline in reply to Farmer_Ed

    I agree completely Ed. As more UK clothing companies come onboard to provide UV clothing, it means there is now an affordable choice for everyone. 

    Angie

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