Monday Musings: Precancerous Skin Treatment Options and Immunity
We’re having a slow, quiet weekend in preparation for a few busy weeks. I’m very excited about a family wedding next weekend, and then Kevin and I are taking off for an extended road trip. I had to order us some larger suitcases because all we own are small bags which are a pain to pack in multiples. I’m trying to get some posts planned so there’s not a lapse, but don’t be surprised if I do miss a day or two.
Egg on my face
It’s not really egg on my face. It’s a pre-cancerous lesion that I’ve been watching and praying would go away on its own.
When it started flaking a few months ago, I told myself I’d just been overzealous with my Retin-A. I tried everything to make this flaky spot go away, but it refused to cooperate. I saw my dermatologist on Friday, and she confirmed that it’s precancerous and has got to go. She’d ordinarily just freeze this off, but that’s not a great option for me. When spots like this get frozen off other people, they just scab up and fall off. But I end up losing pigment and am left with a permanent white spot. She’s decided to prescribe me the chemotherapy drug fluorouracil, which comes in a cream called Efudix. I have friends who’ve used this with great success and wonder if any of you have.
Currently reading
I picked this book up at the library over the weekend and hope it’s an entertaining read. I admit I chose it strictly for the title and cover. Do you ever do that?
I also picked up a few books that look a little less frivolous. I have a hard time finishing books that don’t grab my attention, so I hope this does. What are some of your favorite books or ones you’re planning to read this summer?
Booklight
Wowza, booklights have sure come. long way. My last one was a dinosaur, so I replaced it last week, and I am so impressed! I bought this one which has over 17,000 positive reviews on Amazon.
It is so much slicker than my old one…I feel like I’ve been living in the dark ages, no pun intended. It charges easily with a USB port, so no batteries are needed. The little light pivots to direct it where you need the light.
I bought a white one and ordered my husband a black one.
Outfit Inspiration
Here are a few outfit inspirations I shared on social media last week:
A polished shorts outfit from Banana Republic Factory that would take you out to lunch, to a museum, or backyard party…at a great price.
An easy summer dress outfit from Macy’s, which is marked down!
Easy, peasy shorts outfit with comfy separates for an everyday look.
Immune System Boosting
Someone in our house had a very nasty cold last week, and on Tuesday, I woke up with the beginnings of it. I can’t afford to get a cold with so much going on in the next few weeks, so I raced to Whole Foods and armed myself with some immune boosters.
I’ve sworn by this Wellness Herbal Resistance Liquid for years and believe it makes a huge difference if I feel like I’m coming down with something. I take several droppers throughout the day…probably more than they suggest, but it always shortens whatever I’m getting. This Om Immune Boost was new to me, but since I’m a huge fan of their Hot Chocolate Blend, I figured this was probably pretty good too.
What do you do or take if you think you’re coming down with something?
I had the recurring flaking skin and was also told by my dermatologist that I had pre cancerous cells. He prescribed a Levulan treatment. It is a laser treatment that worked very well for me. It felt like a bad sunburn for 4-5 days and there were far more precancerous spots that came up with the laser. They rose to the surface, much darker than the rest of my skin, and previously hidden, they fell off and there is no scar. A few deep spots reappeared after 2 years and I had a spot treatment. All clear now! The added bonus is a reduction of fine lines.
My naturopath suggested Curaderm and I bought some online. His patients have had great success with it. I tried it and it was a similar burning, but I went with my dermatologistās suggestion.
My husband had the Levulan also on his bald scalpā¦..what a difference!
My derm did mention a laser but sheās afraid Iād have pigment issues with it too. Thanks for sharing the Curaderm. Iāve never heard of it and what I read sounds promising.
My recent favorite reads are: Lessons in Chemistry, The Book of Lost Names, Remarkable Creatures, and The Book of Lost Friends. Remarkable Creatures didn’t grab me immediately, but I was ultimately glad that I stuck with it. The Book of Lost Names and The Book of Lost Friends are both historical fiction.
I take it right from the dropper when I’m feeling sniffly. Otherwise I take gel caps. The oil is hard to take, 4 drops under the tongue, but it sure works for me. Good luck with it, if you try it.
Iām going to get some. Thank you
Sorry youāre experiencing precancers. Iāve taken the route you are taking and have only one thing to add:
My derm said to stay indoors as much as possible and away from windows and screens with blue light. I stubbornly put on a wide brimmed hat and went outside. And I stubbornly worked on my computer. Both behaviors resulted in more pain than I care to experience again. This may not happen for you yet I suggest you get very clear answers from your dermatologist about this aspect of the treatment. Good luck.
Thank you. I am planning to stay as sheltered as possible.
Fortunately, cannot recall when the last time I had a cold and feel most likely because of various reasons. i.e.: Daily intake of a Nutritional Beverage containing Vitamins D/A/C/Zinc plus within that past few years stringent practices due to C*vid prevention . As to the subject of your precancerous spot, am glad you caught it early and extend wishes that the treatment meets with your expectations. With respect to books, my favourite is a good mystery however I am terrible at not paying too much attention to their titles. Bad me! In closing; have fun at the upcoming Wedding. -Brenda-
P.S.: We are celebrating our 1st born’s birthday this coming Saturday with a huge parrr-tay, as he will be turning fifty.
Have a fabulous tme at his party, Brenda!
Like you, I’ve had lots of skin issues after lots of sun exposure back in the 60’s and 70’s before we knew as much about the harm of tanning. Yep, did the baby oil and iodine too. Basal cell carcinoma removed surgically in 2021. Many pre cancerous spots “burned” off. Only one, on my neck, left a white spot. Not sure why that is. So careful in the sun now, SPF all the time. On a lighter note, the book Keeping Time by Stacey McGlynn was a great read. A book that makes me laugh out loud and cry is rare. Both my sisters loved it too, passing it on to a friend now. It’s that good. Short read. About how it’s never too late for new adventures.
It sounds like a great read! I think the deeper they freeze a spot the more likely depigmentation is.
My husband and I have both treated precancerous sun damage spots with Fluorouracil with good results. I also have white spots where I have had damage burned off so I do like the cream better!
I’m hoping to get good results with it.
Second the recs for Thursday Murder Club and Lessons in Chemistry. Some additional summer reading suggestions:
The Dry, by Jane Harper (mystery)
The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
Lady in Waiting, My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown,by Anna Glenconner
The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson
Love your posts, especially since this one seems to be directed to us older ladies, who spent too much time in the sun without protection.
I just received The Well-Lived Life, by Gladys McGarey, MD. A 102 year old doctorās six secrets to health and happiness at every age.
Whew, what a long title, but Iāve started it and she is very entertaining and informative.
I also have in my stack to read: Maurice Barnardās Nothing General About It, and Fortitude, American Resilience In The Era Of Outrage, by Dan Crenshaw.
My reading is extremely eclectic, but it keeps my mind sharp and seeing other points of view.
I love the sound of your list. Keeping our minds active is so important! I just looked uo that book. She sounds amazing!!!
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry to hear about your cold and skin issue. I need to see the derm for a suspicious spot myself. Thanks for the reminder. I live in the North Sonoma area. We have very little brick and mortar shopping. So I found myself in an unlikely spot Old Navy. I usually avoid them as in the past they had poor quality and mostly junior sizes and styles. However …. I found some fun summer exceptions at amazing prices. Today they have their linen blazers on sale for 50% off making them around 30$. Jennifer they are lined have pockets you can use and are generously sized, good for me but they have smaller sizes as well. Bought a pinstriped one rolled up the sleeves wore with a classic white tank, dark jeans, and espadrilles . I got so many complements In Healdsburg no less. The weekend trade there is Very fashionable. Even my husband liked it. Definitely a hunt to find the right pieces but well worth it.
The Eileen Fischer dress in blue is gorgeous! I wore a similar dress to my son’s wedding and still wear it to any formal occasion. And the fabric travels well…. cruise worthy. Wishing you a speedy recovery and a wonderful wedding.
I love the sounds of your chihc outfit, Christi. My oh my, you live in a gorgerous spot! I’ll see if I can get into Old Navy soon.
Lessons in Chemistry, The Tradd Sreet series by Karen White and The Adress by Fiona Davis are all good.
I take vitamins C and D every morning and have for years. If I feel Iām coming down with something I take Ermegen-C Immune+ which has C, D and zinc. Usually works well and also got me through two bouts of Covid with no lasting side effects. I would like to find a combination like that without artificial sugar added so I may check out some others mentioned here.
I LOVE Karen White books. They are scary. Fiona Davis is also a favorite so I will have to oreder lessons In Chemistry.
Hi Jennifer,
My dermatologist prescribed fluorouracil cream for me for precancerous spots on my face as well. She suggests I use it sporadically due to lots of sun damage. It works well for me & I had very minor burning, scabbing, redness. Iāve also had cancerous spots frozen off & they have healed well fortunately. And of course, Iāve had a MOHS procedure on my forehead. I have a very thin scar, barely noticeable. My darling DIL calls it my Harry Potter scar. š I wonāt even get into the other areas on my chest & arms. Itās a constant struggle.
I wanted to mention that I ordered the Botanical tinted sunscreen face cream you mentioned & I love it. It goes on easily & feels great. I also ordered the sunscreen lipstick you mentioned & I like those as well. Thanks for your recommendations!
I’m so glad you liked them. I am constanly adding new weapons to my arsenol in the fight to prevent more sun damage.
Hello Jennifer, if you are looking for a series of fascinating books to read, 8 in all you may want to consider The Seven Sisters by the late Lucinda Riley. If you decide to read them I would suggest you start with the first book called The Seven Sisters, the others are 2. Storm Sister, 3 Shadow Sister, 4 Pearl Sister, 5 Moon Sister, 6 Sun Sister and 7 Missing Sister. Then read Atlas, the Story of Pa Salt to answer some of the questions the series elicits.
I use Oil of Oregano any time I feel sniffly and I haven’t had a cold in 10 years.
Have a great road trip and be safe.
I have been reading about oil of oregano lately. Do you put it in water or just take it from the dropper?
Jennifer, I hope you are successful in you pre-cancer lesion therapy. When I feel a cold coming on, I take Traditional Medicinals Gypsy Cold Care herbal tea. It works for me. I appreciate all of the great books to add to my list! Enjoy your weekend!
I’ll have to check that out
I just finished Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano – so good! I also recently read and loved We Are the Light by Matthew Quick and Lessons in Chemistry.
Thank you!
Jennifer, I wish you well in the healing of your pre-cancerous spot. I am now regretting my stupid choice of ignoring a spot on the bridge of my nose for years. I’m now in week two of post Moh’s surgery, all the cancerous skin was removed, now I have a hole on the bridge of my nose that hopefully will heal in 6 to 8 weeks. A bandage strip is now part of my fashion accessories. I’m now more vigilant with sunscreen applications……take care……
I told my derm I had (briefly) debated pointing it out to her, and she laughed and confirmed sheād have found it anyway. Which I know and is why I see her. Iām too neurotic about my skin because of the melanoma so I had to point it out.
Good luck, Jennifer, with your skin cancer treatments. I noticed a lump on the top of my head that I thought was maybe a scab. Well, it didnāt go away so my dermatologist looked at it, cut it out and said it might be basal cell carcinoma. Now, Iāve got a bald spot in the front of my scalp! Scrunching my curly hair trying to cover it and waiting for path report. The Little Old Lady book looks hilarious. Iām going to request the first in the series from my library today!
She did check my scalp but I too have a funny crust spot I forgot to show her. Yikes. I hope your path report is ok. Good luck!
I’ve used Efudix many times in the past, but it’s awfully harsh for me. It creates a huge scab and hurts for a good two weeks.
I found that using Silver gel (which should be found at Whole Foods) takes longer (I use it twice a day) but is much less hurtful and traumatic to my skin.
I even tested the spot I used with Silver (being the science person that I am) and after the Silver cleared it up, I then used Efudix on the same area to make sure it had cleared all of the precancerous cells. And it did.
It’s all I use now.
Happy to give you more info if you want.
XOXO
Jodie
Thatās fascinating. Thank you for sharing Jodie.
I have used Efudex many times. It is gnarly but effective. It takes more than a month before you will be healed.
Thank you!
Jennifer,
Some light and enjoyable readsā¦
1. An Elderly Lady is up to No Good.
2. An Elderly Lady shall Not Be
Crossed.
The author is Helene Tursten.
Theyāre a quick read and made me laugh.
They sound so fun! I love elderly ladies š¤£
PS to my previous comment. Don’t start the fluorouracil (Effudex) until you have a few weeks with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Both my husband and my aunt had terrible reactions to it, with their skin and, in my husband’s case, scalp completely burned and blistered. Dermatologists tend to act like the cream is nothing, but many people are severely affected by it.
Great point!
Hi Jennifer, I have used Flurocil a couple of times for spots on my nose. I had to use it for two weeks and my nose was bright red, but it was when we weāre wearing masks so that worked out. It took care of my problem and I have had to use it one other time. Alas, Ive had many pre-cancerous and cancerous spots removed, a couple of Mohs surgeries, but luckily no melanoma so far, but both squamous and basal cell. My dermatologist checks me every 4 months but I have to be vigilant myself as now I can tell when these sometimes crusty lesions begin. Iām sure youāll do fine with it. Good luck! Itās the sunbathing for years that did it for me.
I did that same damage to my skin in my youth. If weād only known better!!
The fluorouracil cream worked wonders on my mother’s leg cancer. Her spot was the size of a penny and black, and this cream completely eradicated it, so I would definitely recommend it. Good luck. At least yours is pre-cancerous.
Regarding what I do if I feel something coming on; just simply start drinking lots of water, tea with lemon and a few Advil and I”m good! But, I haven’t felt anything coming on for years!
I had my yearly skin check with dermatologist last week and had a pre cancerous spot frozen on my forehead; fortunately it it under my bangs so not visible. I leave for trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt in 6 days and already have my hat and sunscreen packed. Good luck with the topical cream
Priscilla
What an amazing trip! Have a fabulous time.
Thanks for the important information on skin cancer.
I have friends who have made multiple trips to the dermatologist.
So far I have not, but I keep my eye open for these ālittle buggersā
Enjoy packing for you wedding trip and savor every minute.
I used that Florouracil chemo cream couple years ago on a spot on my face. Twice a day for 2 weeks during the pandemic. It looked like someone had put a cigar to my face and burned it. It wasnāt easy when we had to wear masks because you cannot cover up the chemo cream with any mask or bandage. As soon as the scab went away, I was left with perfect skin where that dime sized red and brown precancerous spot had been! You cannot even tell a spot was ever there!
Whew, Iām so hopeful I get your results.
Hope you are feeling better! I swear by Zinc when I feel like I might be getting something or know I was exposed. I really like using a Kindle, stores tons of books, donāt need a book light. Cute outfits too!,
I take manuka honey in a higher dosage than my usual regular daily dosage. My dad was in a care home for three years, we gave him Manuka honey daily and he never caught a virus once. It was recommended to us by a Consultant for its antibacterial qualities. We used it on our labrador’s leg ulcer when it wouldn’t heal with antibiotic ointment prescribed by our vet. I keep family and friends in supplies and buy online.
I have some and forgot to take it. How much do you take in a daily basis?
If I think I’m getting a cold (a virus that enters through your nose and mouth), I suck on a Cold-Eeze lozenge. Cold-Eeze are made of zinc gluconate, and slowly dissolving the lozenge in your mouth is proven to disrupt the virus and shorten the length of a cold — from 7 days to 3-4 days. The caveat is, you have to start at the very first inkling of a cold — so I keep one or two of the lozenges in every bag, backpack, carry-on bag, etc. that I own. Also, while not necessarily recommended, I suck on one at the end of a flight as I’m getting off the plane. They’re nontoxic, so why not.
Brilliant Bette! I need some in my bag. I think thatās why I knocked this virus back. I slammed it from the very first inkling of a sore throat.
I as well have tried Efudix for basil cell cancer but the spot came back after a few months and had to be surgically excised. But my mother has had success with Efudix. We are hair skinned redheads and struggle with skin issues. Hopefully Efudix will eradicate the spot on your face. Good luck as no one wants an ugly scar on their face.
Iām sorry it didnāt work for you. Fingers crossed it will for me but if not Iāll have to get it taken off. These things are too important to not take seriously.
Hello Jennifer,
So sorry to hear about your skin troubles friend and I am hoping you will get relief soon from all the stress and mayhem. I loved Kate Atkinson’s “Shrines of Gaiety” which is about London nightclubs after WW1, so good. Also love the Shetland series whodunits by Ann Cleeves. Vacation reading for me always Elin Hilderbrand’ and her “The Hotel Nantucket” is perfect. I am going to buy the book light looks amazing!!! Have fun planning your time away š
Good morning Francesca! Those books sounds like great summer reads. The Hotel Nantucket sounds right up my alley for a relaxing read.