Aldara (imiquimod) topical (for the skin) is an immune response modifier used to
treat actinic keratosis
(a condition caused by too much sun exposure) on the face and scalp.
How long does it take for Aldara cream to work?
Men with warts under the foreskin should pull the foreskin back each day and wash underneath it (see section 2 “Warnings and precautions”) Continue to use Aldara cream as instructed until your warts have completely gone (half the females who clear will do so
in 8 weeks
, half the males who clear will do so in 12 weeks …
What happens when you use imiquimod?
Side Effects
Treatment area reactions may include
redness, swelling, itching, burning, pain/tenderness
, thickening/hardening of the skin, peeling/flaking/scabbing/crusting, or leaking a clear fluid. Also, changes in skin color may occur and may not go away.
What does Aldara do to healthy skin?
This medication is used
to treat certain types of growths on the skin
. These are precancerous growths (actinic keratoses), a certain type of skin cancer (superficial basal cell carcinoma), and warts on the outside of the genitals/anus. Treating these conditions can decrease complications from them.
How long can you use imiquimod cream?
Imiquimod cream should be left on the skin for 6 to 10 hours. Continue using imiquimod until all of the warts are healed,
up to a maximum of 16 weeks
. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
How do I know if Aldara is working?
You may have redness, swelling, burning, itching, and tenderness. As the skin starts to heal,
you will see scabs and flaking
. These reactions indicate that the medicine is working. When a patient does not have a reaction, imiquimod tends to be ineffective.
What happens if you leave Aldara on too long?
Using too much Aldara, or using it for too long can increase your
risk of severe skin reactions
. Follow your doctor's instructions. Do not use Aldara on areas of broken, wounded, or burned skin (including sunburn).
Do you rub in imiquimod?
Rub it in gently
. Allow the medicine to stay on the treated skin for 8 hours (for actinic keratosis or basal cell carcinoma) or 6 to 10 hours (for genital warts). Do not take a bath, swim, or get the treated area wet during this time.
Does imiquimod damage healthy skin?
What are the common side effects of imiquimod cream? Within 3 to 5 days, the skin treated with imiquimod cream can get red and sore.
Even normal looking skin may be affected
, because it may contain invisibly abnormal cells. The skin may weep, peel, crack or even blister and then scab over.
Does imiquimod cause scarring?
While this drug is commonly used in daily clinical practice,
no reports to date have associated its administration with alterations in scar formation
. We describe 2 cases of abnormal scar formation after treatment with imiquimod 5% cream.
Is Aldara a form of chemotherapy?
Imiquimod is
not a chemotherapy drug
. Instead, it works by boosting the body's immune response to the area of abnormal tissue. This treatment has improved VIN, and in some women, it has made VIN go away completely. It can cause irritation and pain in the treated area.
How long does it take for skin to heal after Aldara?
The surrounding skin may also become inflamed, but this will settle when you stop using the cream. Skin redness may take
up to 4 weeks
to subside (after stopping treatment). If your skin becomes too uncomfortable, take a rest week off treatment until the effects have become better, then restart treatment.
Is Aldara cream a form of chemotherapy?
Imiquimod cream is
a cancer treatment
and is also known by its brand name, Aldara.
What happens if I use imiquimod everyday?
Two patients from the imiquimod twice-daily, 7-day dosing group reported severe application site reactions, 1
with pain at the target site
and 1 with tenderness, stinging, and pain at the target site. One patient from the once-daily, 7-day group reported severe tenderness at the target site.
How effective is imiquimod cream?
Of those patients whose warts disappeared while using 5% imiquimod cream,
44%
were clear by 8 weeks of therapy and 69% were clear by 12 weeks. Seventy-seven percent of women and 40% of men using 5% imiquimod cream experienced complete wart clearance.
Does imiquimod make you tired?
Three cases of patients using imiquimod for anogenital warts reported a range of side effects, including flu-like symptoms and rash exacerbations, with one patient progressing to intense headache, fatigue, lumbar pain, generalized myalgia, and locomotor difficulties during the third week of imiquimod treatment.
