I wish I would have thought to take photos of the not-keratosis on my face before the dermatologist treated it, and continued to take photos along the way.
As I did NOT do that (and I have very few photos of myself from the recent past that show my recently-treated precancerous spot), I figured now was as good a time to start as any.
It is my hope that I will be able to show improvement over time… If I remember to take more photos in the future, that is… But honestly, right now I just feel like: It looks the same.
The spot — clearly visible on my cheek in the photo above — is the same size and roughly the same color (though my husband says it’s a little lighter) as it was before my trip to Dermatology. The main visible difference is that the current roughness is medication-induced (the chemo cream I’m using makes it very dry; the doctor said it would blister but so far that has not been the case) as opposed to diseased-cell induced. The important difference is that the two little bumps that seemed to be growing inside the affected area prior to treatment have not reappeared.
I have been using the chemo cream for 11 days, twice a day.
The full round of (first) treatment is three weeks.
So… Ten days to go.
Which is okay, so far as it goes. But right now I’m feeling a little uncertain about what the result of this treatment might be. Unless a big{ger} change takes place over the second half of this non-knife attempt to fix the problem and/or the area heals/regrows new/healthy skin between the time the treatment ends and the time I see the doctor again…
Blergh.
I’ve had this spot — a spot — on my face for so long that it’s pretty much just something I’ve accepted.
But on the other hand… Knowing that the course of treatment I’m under is supposed to be helping — but not actively seeing a change indicative of that ‘help’ — makes it a slightly disappointing exercise.
So we’ll see.
I’m crossing my fingers, hoping for a good result.
Meanwhile — on the face of it — nothing significant seems to have changed.
I have treated basal cell carcinoma on my face twice with such a cream. It was always terrible, looked nasty. But it helped.
I’m hoping this helps. If not, it’ll require a knife.
Good luck with it. I’ve never had a cream to use…….only cutting, but so far the most visible removal was on my neck, not my face……and I am a guy, so for me, a small facial scar would not be the end of the world. The thing is I can handle these little flare-ups but worry one day something is going to settle somewhere else…….and be a lot nastier to deal with.
My mom had a huge chunk cut out of her leg a few years ago. With as many freckles/moles as I have all over my body, all the sun damage I’ve sustained over the years… I expect something similar.
I have a mole on my left side… and it’s been there for as long as I can remember. A doctor saw it and started talking about the Big C and wanted to remove and biopsy it… and I told him to leave it alone because it’s just there. Has never changed shape or size and not bothering me at all. I thought about having it removed and a couple of times, hit my side in a way that I almost removed it but, yeah, it’s still there.
I am pleased that your doctor is taking the non-invasive way of dealing with this and taking care of you. I think this is the first time since I’ve been following you that I’ve seen your face – and might I say that I think you’re gorgeous? Hubba hubba! Thank you for sharing this with us and bringing some awareness! I’d not want the knife taken to my face but, yeah, I also don’t want to wind up dying from a cancer that the knife could have gotten rid of.
All the best with this.
Thanks. 🙂
Yes, my doc was serious but low-key about the whole thing. I appreciate both things. She burned some spots off my legs as well but they don’t require any extra treatment; those were not “c” problems so much as just badly placed; those moles got bumped/scraped/aggravated often because of where they were placed on my body (panty line, sock rubs, etc).
Hoping with you, Feve! Hang in there!
Thanks!
My mom’s skin cancer started with a spot on her temple, which she home-treated for over a year with Betadine before she went to the doctor (she was stubborn like that) and she the needed cutting and radiation treatment for it. It left her with a scar, and five years later she had another spot, between her eyes, which had to be cut too. I don’t even know if chemo creams was a thing back then (15+ years ago) or whether cutting was the only option. I hope the cream helps, Feve, and the knife is not required.
~ Marie xox
I am not sure how long this kind of cream has been around. I’m going to have a mark/scar either way, but I’m glad to have this less-invasive option to try.
Fingers crossed for perfect results with the cream. I look forward to the day when med beds or sci-fi scanning healers are available and there’s no waiting-and-wondering.
Yes, a bit of Star Trek style doctoring would be so much easier! *laugh*
Gosh, sending prayers that it will resolve in the way you/the doctors want it to. Is there something you could do to help with the dryness? I’m not sure if that will interfere with the medication… ?
I’ve stopped the medicine at this point. The dry became a scab and peeled once; it’s currently scabbed again. I’m assuming that once the new skin starts to come through, it will be time for my follow-up appointment. I’ll know more then.
Pingback: Turning My Cheek - Temperature's Rising