User Reviews for Carac topical

I have had great success with this drug, however its use is not without pain and skin irriation.

Basically, the drug talks about side effects and they are true. I have experienced each of them and they are all bearable, did not enjoy them but you can make it through them. It has done its job.

I am on day 9 of a 21 day treatment once a day with application applied at night on my entire face and hands. I have Actinic Keratosis. I have had 5 BCCs and 1 SCC removed from legs. I am so suprised at all the red dots. Did not realize I had it this bad until you see what is happening to your face. Not a fun experience. It seems to be worse for me for about 5 hours after I wash it off. I have to take 500 mgs of IBProfin to make it through the morning. I have resorted to working in the afternoons since mornings seem to be worse for me. If it gets much worse than this, and I am told it will, I will probably have to stay at home the last week. I going to try some aquaphor moisturizer starting tonight (after 2 hours ofter application) hoping for some relief. Read More Read Less

On day 15 of 17...54 yr old female. Treatment on chest. Had Efudex about 6 yrs ago on face. Last 3 days have been very painful, dry, tight, red, blotchy, and scaly. Day 14 have had to take tylenol. I have used virgin coconut oil instead of aquafor because it is less greasy under my clothes and works great for the stinging and itching. I see the Dr. day 17 and can't wait, hopefully that will be the end of my treatment and I can start on what the others called the "cooling gel" which they didn't give me for my face at the time.Read More Read Less

I began t/x in Jan.now in wk 5. Have had all of the awful redness, pain, itching, runny eyes, swelling, etc. My skin is tight,hot, sore & itchy. I am thru with applying the cream. Am hoping for the best after the peeling is complete. Will wear Neutogena spf 70 for sentitive skin 2-3x's daily from now on. Hope I don't have to go thru this again-very painful!

started two weeks ago. my face red and tender after washing my face in the morning (after nightly application) I applied CeraVe lotion. Very soothing. sun screen burned. But I'll take it for the price of beauty! No more sun worshiping for me!!

I am on day 18 of an 18 day treatment. After reading quite a few reviews, I was not looking forward to starting this, however, it has been much easier than I expected. After the first week, I had a LOT of red patches, some flaking and peeling. But my side effects have been very mild compared to others'. I can live with the embarrassing redness just as long as there is relatively little pain, some dryness and some flaking.

I am on day 17 of Carac 1x daily. The 2nd week was very difficult with lots of stinging, burning. Now, into week 3 my skin is peeling and the inflamed, reddened areas - cheek bones, cheeks, temples primarily - are less "active" and are drying out. It is most difficult late at night/early am hours. I apply Carac around 7 pm...stay up late to avoid the horrible feeling when I lay down. It seems that when I'm horizontal, the blood circulating causes more irritation compared to sitting or standing up. The secondary lesions; those not as active therefore reacting to Carac later than the initial areas of my face, are in their main burning, stinging phrase (forehead, eyebgrows)...so it's almost like I've gone through two rounds with this medication. Most difficult for me is the stinging, burning..I can tolerate the dryness a little more because I use Aquaphor or Vaseline 2+ hours after applying Carac or, if I can stand it, not until the next morning. Some say week 3 is the hardest...I must agree with this. This is when reactions seem the most pronounced. I guess it depends upon how much or how severe the AK's or BC's or SC's are on the individual. I can't wait till this is over, though. It seems like time is just crawling by.Read More Read Less

I am a 53 y.o. red headed male who grew up in the tropics. Dermatologist prescribed me Cara for 2 weeks on nose, forehead and temples. No effect until day 4 then my nose turned completely red and my forehead became blotchy. Skin became increasing red, itchy, irritated (painful to wash). Today is 2nd week after stopping treatment and most of red, peeling, itchy skin is gone. In fact, my skin has never looked better -- smooth as a baby's bottom! Just stick with it and when you are done with treatment, use Aquaphor to soothe the irritated skin.Read More Read Less

I was very scared to use this medication on my face but have been pleasantly surprised how mild but effective it is. I have several small spots and applied cream w/ a Q-tip. You will have redness and peeling approximately 2 weeks after applying cream but it was not severe for me. I was able to apply foundation and it was not very noticeable. Carac is MUCH BETTER for me than the liquid nitrogen applied in the dr's office. I like the control. It is expensive ~$150 but worth it.

When used on the scalp and face, it can leave you quite funny looking until the healing has been completed.

Since I had 3 pre-cancerous lesions, I have just started the Carac 3 days ago.I'm using it on my entire face, ears, neck, chest, & shoulders for 4 weeks, & the top of my arms & hands for 6 weeks.I realize that I have tough weeks ahead of me.I have found that the Carac ointment is very difficult to apply because it rapidly turns to powder when applied to the skin.Does anyone have any advice on how you learned to easily apply this?I thought that my RX might be faulty,& called my pharmacist.He tested a tube,& said that indeed it did quickly turn to powder,& that it was just the chemicals from which it was made.My Dr. also prescribed topical Cloderm to use every 2 hours during the day for discomfort & pain, but told me to not use this after 6pm daily so that it wouldn't interfere with the absorption of the Carac.He also told me to take Ibuprofin/Acetaminophen & Benydryl for discomfort & pain. He doesn't want me to use anything else at all on my skin. Since I plan to hibernate (I've stocked up on supplies so that I don't have to leave my house.)in my home during the weeks ahead, the Dr. doesn't even want me to use sunscreen.He said that he wants the best absorption possible during these weeks.He said that within his 40 years of prescribing this med, he'd never seen scarring. He also told me that the Carac attacks only the pre-cancerous lesions,& that it is not predictable as to how many of these are underlying within the skin.It is because of my fear of developing skin cancer from the 3 known pre-cancerous lesions,& certainly the possiblity of others that I have to stay with this program until the entire 6 weeks have passed.I know that I will probably have some bad times ahead, but I have to make it through. Right now, I have a positive attitude.I hope that I can keep it when times are rough.However,I have talked with others who have gone through this problem who now have gorgeous skin,& I plan to use this as a goal.Thanks in advance for any advice & encouragement.Read More Read Less

Today is my third week on carac and my face is red like a boiled lobster and burns constantly. My arms are in the process of peeling and burn constantly. I have had a difficult time sleeping. If I keep busy I can stand the pain. As I said before a scotch relaxes me and that helps. The results better be fantastic as the suffering is harsh.

I am in my seventh day of treatment and have had stinging eyes, feeling like sunburn, headache, and a bad taste in my mouth. The two things that ease the pain and relax me are 90 plus sunscreen and a drink of scotch. Tylynol, advil, or aleve didn't seem to do much. It's hard to say if its working but I have most of the side effects.

I am starting my second Carac treatment. The first was two years ago. Each treatment will last 2 weeks as prescribed by my dermatologist. After the two weeks, I will visit the Dr. to view the results and get the cool down cream (at least this is what I call it) to clear and smooth the skin. I am in treatment for Malignant Melanoma (5 years now) and this is just one of my many preventative treatments. As other posters wrote, what to expect is this: Start the treatment knowing you do NOT have any social plans for the next 3 weeks. Apply the cream as directed. Your face will NOT experience anything for 2-4 days however each person is different. Pretty soon, it will feel like a faint sun burn, then as the days go on, it will increase with redness, remember, with this treatment, “the redder the better” by the end of the 2nd week, red blotchy sores will appear, like a major case of some type of skin rash…it’s not pretty. HOWEVER…after the 2nd week (or however long your Dr. has you on the treatment) you will apply the Cool Down medicine…sorry, I forgot what this is called and it is a prescription cream, almost immediately your face will feel better and within a few days it will look like a million bucks! Smooth skin, blotches and sun damage will be less noticeable and in my case, I looked younger…and that says a lot! This is good stuff for folks who have major sun damage and /or have dermatologist issues. Hope this helps… Read More Read Less

Just finished 4 weeks of Carac on my face and two weeks of Vaseline after care. After reading about Carac I was scared, but it was not as bad as I expected. Weeks two and three were uncomfortable-itchy and burning. I tried to stay inside where it was cool and keep busy. After two weeks of Vaseline after care my face has only two tiny tender patches near both eyes. For those beginning treatment-it was worth it for me.

I have finished 7 days of a 14 day treatment. My face is very itchy, slightly red with a sun burn feel. The worst part is, I feel like I have morning sickness and I'm dizzy along with a headache. I will write again next week and give an update.

I'm on day 13 of a 6 week treatment which after reading the other reviews I'm thinking is a little long. I have to use it on my entire face and after only 4 days my face became red and eyes burned and by now I am in agony. The cream is so thick that it peels my skin when I put it on. I already have the peeling and cracking and also blisters in places. Also I haven't felt well since about the 3rd day or so of treatment, just kind of blah, nauseous and headachy although I didn't read where anyone else reported that so maybe it's just me. have to agree it's no fun going out in public but if it works then it's worth it. Sure wish I would have listened and not baked in the sun all those years! I'll let you know if I can make it through the full 6 weeks.Read More Read Less

This is for the ladies....I was very scared to use Carac cream b/c of horrible photos I saw on the web. I have done 4 small areas (about 2 in. areas at a time). Timing-wise only expect to see anything end of 2nd week. Depending on how much AK's you have you will see red splotches that intensify in 3rd week. If you put makeup over top of the area (if it isn't too bad) then NO ONE notices anything. My really bad area that I did was my nose so if I had to time it again I would just look 2-3 weeks out of calender and if you have something important to do then, don't start carac cream. As soon as you stop using it the skin heals up and is very smooth underneath. Use a lot of sunscreen over area and you can continue to cover w/ makeup. It is better than getting liquid nitrogen you just have to plan. Summer is coming so I am going to stop until after next xmas and then tackle a few more small areas until I am all done! Easy easy w/ out any major problems.Read More Read Less