Side Effects of Carac or Efudex

i had no problem until day the 14th day thats when i started to react to the efudex i have 5 days left of treatment i pulled hair back with a ahirband and worked cream around the outside of my face then used qtips to finish the rest  i have had no reaction on my forehead but the rest of face is a mess it will get better keep that in mind..... i'm a waitress this is my second week of not working  hope this helps

Margerino, my face did not get bad until about day 6 or 7, so I am wishing I had started earlier - because I would be finished by now.  It got really nasty and painful about day 8.  I am on Day 26 of a 30 day treatment.  The second week was when I looked the worst so far, because all of your old skin is coming off.  For week 3 and 4, I am really, really red and raw looking like I have a terrible sunburn and it feels that way too.  Now, I am starting to really peel again, but the skin is clear and not brown.  I think this experience makes you have empathy for people who deal with any type chronic pain or condition.  Go ahead and just do it and start getting it over with.  Everyone reacts differently, so you can hope that your's will not be that bad.  From I what I hear, no one has regretted doing this and they are very glad they did.  They say your skin will be so much better.  Good luck. 

Strangely, I'm at Day 14 of two-a-days without pain. Maybe a little itchy now and then. My face looks just about as bad as the brave guy who posted one of the best visual diaries -- 

Hey - I'm glad to seeing folks keeping this chain going.  I am on my 5th day of Carac (28 days) and my face is just a little red & tight.  I own an Inn and restaurant and we are closed the month of November, so I am very lucky.  I am wondering when I will not want to go out into the public.  I have plenty of vaseline & am going to WALMART today to buy Aquaphor and tylenol PM.  I feel like I am hoaring before the storm.  But I have learned all this from this message center ... it is very comforting to know others are going through this process. .. so lets keep the advice coming.  I will keep you all posted as "my storm comes in".  Margerino

goodmorning marge,

                                i am on day 3 of post treatment.. i feel great today i do not look so great though...  i am taking off another week of work just so i do not scare away people from eating i'm a waitress... now that treatment is over i guess its like having a baby you kind of forget the pain.. i think i read every post on this board......lol ....like i said day 15 was when vasaline became my best friend good luck ....

I started treatment 3 weeks ago  but unfortunately I was told to do my face in stages. I started with my nose and then my forehead and finally my cheeks. I finished my nose today and it is totally raw, (can't even wear my glasses) started putting cortisone on it that really felt good. My only regret was not doing my whole face at once.  I would have been finished today. My chest is pretty bad, I asked my derm if I could use it there and she said I could.  I am going to wait until I am finished with my face and then start after the holidays. I think by that time I would have forgotten how I felt during the face treatment. Has anyone done their chest out there in carac land? Is it as bad as the face? Thanks for all the information. Vinas

Marge, hang in there.  I just finished a 30 day treatment of Carac.  This is my first day post treatment.  I am staying greased up.  I did not know about anything to use until I was in my second week.  I think I would have fared much better if I had known I could use something else besides Cetaphil lotion (that's what my dermatologist said to use).  I was in so much pain in my second week that I went by the dermatologist's office and asked if this was normal.  That's when they told me to use a cortisone cream called Topicort.  They gave me samples and that made all of the difference in the world.  I highly recomment Topicort.  Be sure to keep your face hydrated and that will help.The worst week for me was the fouth week, but by then I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  Good Luck.  Joanie

Sosick, glad to hear that you are better.  That's encouraging.  I am Day 1 post treatment.  I did not sleep at all hardly last night, so it's good to hear that you are feeling so good on Day 3.  I don't care what I look like anymore.  I just want to feel better.  Joanie

Hamburger, Sosick and Marge - hope you all are doing ok.  Sosick, I am interested to know how you are doing post-treatment.  I am 2 days post-treatment and so far, these have been my hardest days.  I am hoping that things will start changing tomorrow.  Hamburger, for some reason, I missed seeing the pictures of the guy that journaled his experience.  Thanks for including those.  It was very interesting and does give me hope.  Plus, I don't think I had it as bad as he did.  I had all of the brown spots and skin in my second week and part of the third.  For my fourth week, it is all just VERY red and painful.  I   made my husband read this guy's journal, so he could see that it is just not me that is "whining".  Overall, he has been very supportive, but I do not think that others understand at all how hard this is physically and emotionally.  I feel like I have ADHD.  I cannot concentrate on things and get distracted by the pain and itching.  Anyway, thanks for posting the pictures.  I am a little worried, because the spots that were the trouble places on my face do not look like they are going to heal and go away.  I would hate to think that I went through this for nothing.  Hope everyone is hanging in there. 

this is 5 days post treatment keep face moist at all times.. this is the first day that i have no pain except for corners of my eyes... face is still red and itchy very little pealing day 4 post tx was the worse the pain level was a 10 all day    i had to go back and look at ace pictures and his journal so that made me feel so much better because i though i was going crazy like i said first day of no pain... still using hydro, vas, aqu