I have had malignant melanoma, and use this at the first sign of anything unusual. My dermatologist prescribes and monitors my usuage.It is very unsightly as the Rx does its work, but that is better than developing more melanomas. this is my second time to use carac top and I have had no scarring. Published: June 17, 2008 ::

I used this medicine on my face. Side effects of skin erosion and tenderness are super painful. Redness,scabbing and overall unsightliness are overwhelming and makes me ultra self conscious. The affected areas on both sides of my face, on the apple of my cheeks. The affected area is like an upside down triangle, from nose, to hairline, to sides of mouth. I am now concerned of scarring. Published: May 27, 2008 ::

I am a repeat user of this cream and I must say I hate the treatment. It burns like mad by the end of the second week and my face looks like I've been splattered with hot grease. But it does a great job clearing up the skin problems and I have not had any long term scarring. My advice is, don't use the cream in the summer unless you absolutely have to or you're only covering a small area as the added heat seems to intensify the burning and redness. Published: January 08, 2009 ::

Just started treating my entire chest area for pre-cancerous spots (AKs) on my very sun-damaged skin. Within 3 days of starting treatment, skin broke out severely (raised, bumpy, inflamed red spots). I believe this indicates it's working to attack the damaged areas that have not yet produced precancerous visual symptoms. Dr. assures me it will get rid of my damage ("liver marks" and the red, scaly spots that never would go away), improve my skin tone, and most importantly help to reduce the likelihood of skin cancer in the future. Dr. also says it will get worse before it gets better, but I will be patient and wear turtlenecks to hide it until it's healed. Will report back in 60 days. Published: November 26, 2008 ::

Completed four-weeks of 1xdaily on the face. Reviewer who observed that week three is the worst was almost correct. First two weeks, nothing but a little redness and slight burning. Third week it started waking me up at night and had problems eating as skin was very tight. Week three it began flaking and peeling. Shaving with a blade was out of the question. Tried ice packs to keep the swelling down. Week four was very painful; redness started to turn purple and skin was constantly flaking and peeling. Gym workouts were the worst; sweat was like acid on my face. Decided to cut the four week treatment by two days. Have been off the drug for almost a week and this is the first day there has been no discomfort. Redness is greatly decreased but skin is still flaking and peeling. Still a bit of soreness where at creases around the mouth and edge of the eyes. Skin looks much much better than before medication. Some "questionable" discolored places are totally gone. Now looking for the world's best sunscreen as I'm certain I was the victim of name-brand stuff with little UVA protection. Recommend this product and the full 4-weeks. Published: February 26, 2009 ::

I am on Day 19 of a 21 day treatment. My entire face is very red. It isn't very blotchy but am overall red appearence. It is mainly embarassing to look this way. The only discomfort is stinging and burning for the first hour or so after I apply the Carac at night. My skin is beginning to peel. Aquaphor has been a life saver for me. It is petroleum jelly with lanolin and some other ingredients. I keep some with me at all times and reapply as needed. Just hang in there and know that it really is a short time that may save your life. Published: February 10, 2009 ::

kI used Carac after many bouts w/basil and squamous cell. I applied to face neck chest and arms.The first week wasn't bad but by week 2 things were heating up. By week 3 I was on fire with major redness and swelling, my skin was so tight that I had to apply lotion to open my mouth to eat. Didn't sleep for 1 full week and was unable to go to work as clothing was painful. I finished the treatment everywere except for the face, Dr gave me steriods to discontinue treatment because of severity. In the end it did a great job of finding lots of bad cells and my skin looks great. I just had a squamous cell come up on my nose that I guess it was unable to remove. Published: March 05, 2009 ::