CancerCompass message board discussion started by tessa01 on 1/11/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,19606,0.htm Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ My dermatologist recommended aldara on my upper lip for 10days,twice a day application. After 9 days I had to stop, my lower lip is also affected even though I tried to slather it with Aquaphor to keep it sealed. My lips look terrible, the skin is coming off, they are oozing and I am scared of an infection. Can anybody please tell me if my lips look so bad how will I know if I have an infection ? tessa01 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi tessa01, I really think you should go to your doctor to make sure it is not infected.  Many of the symptoms of these chemo creams look just like infection. After doing Efudex on my entire face for 12 days this month, I finally demanded to see the doctor again....he told me to use the Polysporin (sp?) ointment (not the cream, the ointment has a petroleum jelly base) 3x per day.  This was AFTER I had stopped tx per his instruction.  I did hear of other people using it 2 hrs after application of the cream during their Carac or Efudex treatment.  This ointment didn't really do much for the actual pain, but helped with the dryness a little.  It did not sting, and the antibiotic helped me think that maybe it would not become infected.  I would talk to your doc ASAP however just to make sure, especially since I didn't use Aldara, but Efudex instead. Oh yeah, my doc (who is not very forthcoming with information), said NOT to use the Neomyacin cream because it has some ingredient that some people are allergic to. Good luck with this treatment!  I myself am now worried that my doctor said I could stop prematurely so I'm hoping that the treatment is effective after all this pain and suffering and hideousness!  Most other accounts I have read have people using the cream for at least a week longer than me! felipa Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT thank you so much for your reply.I did see my doctor and he said that I had an severe reaction.I am now on antibiotics, oral and topical.it looks absolutely horrible, where the crusting came off there are now  bloody scabs forming. I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed form my upper lip and that operation was nothing  compared to this treatment.  tessa01 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 1/12/2008 tessa01 wrote:thank you so much for your reply.I did see my doctor and he said that I had an severe reaction.I am now on antibiotics, oral and topical.it looks absolutely horrible, where the crusting came off there are now  bloody scabs forming. I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed form my upper lip and that operation was nothing  compared to this treatment. I did my face, chest and neck a year ago now and am very pleased with the results. I used Efudex 2x day for 21 days. The reaction was horrible as expected and really took me by surprise as I was not warned about what would happen. Used the internet to get info/pics etc. The lips were probably the worst with scabbing and bleeding every day and difficulty eating but I persevered for the 21 days, they cleared up fairly quickly when I stopped the treatment, faster than the face actually. I also used Vaseline with Hydrocortisone 2 hrs after the treatment and it worked well.Good luck keep with it you will not be sorry. Samra Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT