What is topical 5-fluorouracil used to treat?

Also called 5-FU cream or Efudix, this medicine interferes with abnormal cells in the treated area. It is applied only to skin selected by a clinician, often a sun-exposed site such as the face, scalp, ears, or hands. The cream does not suit every suspicious mark, and a changing or thicker lesion may need examination or another treatment first.

Redness, scaling, crusting, soreness, and irritation can develop as abnormal cells respond. The reaction may look more noticeable before the area settles. Treatment length and application instructions vary with the body site, formulation, and diagnosis.

Follow the prescribed schedule and apply a thin layer to the specified area. Wash your hands afterward, avoid the eyes and lips, and keep the cream away from children and pets. Do not cover the area with a dressing unless your prescriber tells you to. Protect treated skin from sun and avoid adding irritating products.

Do not start, stop, or extend a course based only on the appearance of the reaction. A clinician may recommend a bland moisturiser or a planned break when irritation becomes difficult to manage. Photodynamic Therapy is another treatment option for some sun-damaged lesions.

Seek prompt advice for severe pain, rapidly increasing swelling, extensive blistering, pus, spreading warmth, fever, eye exposure, or an allergic reaction with facial swelling or breathing difficulty. Contact the prescriber if the treated area becomes difficult to use, the reaction is unexpectedly intense, or a lesion bleeds, forms a firm lump, or fails to heal.

Ask which lesions should receive the cream, how long to use it, what reaction is expected, how to protect nearby skin, and when the area should be reviewed. Ask whether a biopsy, cryotherapy, or Photodynamic Therapy is more appropriate for any individual mark.