Do you read what you write? You sure don't pay attention to what I write.
Prove to me?
How about to the world community that comes here to get informed and make prudent decisions?
You want us to just trust what you say here because you say it is so? Cause you're a straight up kinda guy who's been participating here for a whopping two months?
I'm not BS'ing I tried it [Curaderm] for over 3 months it was painful and though it did eat at them..I'd of been easily another 6 months and a lot more pain and money out ..to get where I knew bloodroot paste would get me in 24 hours.
I pay attention to what you write.
I agree the world community should come here to get informed and make prudent decisions regarding this.
Sanguinaria, Toxicity of bloodroot paste to animal cells, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Sanguinarine kills animal cells by blocking the action of Na+/K+-ATPase transmembrane proteins. As a result, applying bloodroot to the skin may destroy tissue and lead to the formation of a large scab, called an eschar. Bloodroot and its extracts are thus considered escharotic.
"Applying escharotic agents, including bloodroot, to the skin is sometimes suggested as a home treatment for skin cancer, these attempts can be severely disfiguring.[6] Salves derived from bloodroot cannot be relied on to remove an entire malignant tumor. Microscopic tumor deposits may remain after visible tumor tissue is burned away, and case reports have shown that in such instances tumor has recurred and/or metastasized.[7]"
References:
6. Don't Use Corrosive Cancer Salves (Escharotics), Stephen Barrett, M.D.
7. McDaniel, S.; Goldman, GD (2002). "Consequences of Using Escharotic Agents as Primary Treatment for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer". Archives of Dermatology 138 (12): 1593–6. doi:10.1001/archderm.138.12.1593. PMID 12472348.
You say: "POIDH Pictures or it didn't happen..."
The world community should web search reference [6] and see the pictures posted there to get informed and make prudent decisions.
Howard you choose to be ignorant and arrogant rather than educate yourself and make informed statements... you never clicked on the hyperlink that I provided for you so you could educate yourself on Bloodroot and the ignorance of people and the medical community about it. No you have it all figured out already ..Curaderm is the be all end all and no one better say differently...
Remember when I told you..The truth will set you free? Well ignorance is bliss and you appear very blissful.
Since you couldn't take the time to click on the link I provided you and just want to continue to expound upon your ignorance about bloodroot paste here are some excerpts for you to read.. Surely you have heard of Mohs surgery...yes the gold standard of the medical community for the removal of Skin Cancers. News flash ...He started his whole career with guess what? hold onto your hat...I can't believe it! Bloodroot paste!..Oh the horror...he must of been a madman...a fool for sure! He must not have read all the BS on the internet back in 1933 when he started experimenting with it.
This is an excerpt from the published article found on the Skin Cancer Foundation's website skincancer.org "just a little legit"
"The Evolution of Mohs Micrographic Surgery The Single Most Effective Skin Cacncer Treatment" by Dr.Perry Robins,with Tobechi L. Ebede, MD, and Elizabeth K. Hale, MD
In 1933, 23-year-old Frederic Edward Mohs was a research assistant assigned to inject different chemicals into cancerous rat tissues to produce specific reactions. He discovered that one of these chemicals, a zinc chloride solution, could “fix” skin tissue for microscopic study — preserve it without changing the architectural structure of the cells.
He combined zinc chloride solution with stibnite and Sanguinaria Canadensis (Bloodroot) to develop a cohesive paste. When he applied the paste, Mohs found that he could excise the tissue without causing bleeding. He could then prepare frozen sections of the excised tissue, and placed them on slides to be viewed under the microscope. Thus began his groundwork for the technique that today bears his name.
In 1936, after training as a surgeon, Dr. Mohs began performing the procedure, initially dubbed “chemosurgery” (“chemo” referring to the zinc chloride paste), on human skin cancer patients. It was a scrupulous process that could take days. Once clinical examination revealed a potential cancer, he would first apply dichloracetic acid to the area believed to be involved; this would allow him to scrape away the protein keratin from the epidermal layer of the skin, so that the zinc chloride paste could penetrate the area. The paste would then be applied, fixing the tissue. A protective dressing would be placed over the treated site to enhance penetration and absorption of the paste. When adequate fixation was achieved many hours later or by the next day,Mohs would remove the dressing and, using a scalpel, would surgically excise a saucer-shaped layer of the fixed tissue. He cut the specimen into sections about 1 cm square in area and 2 mm thick, and sketched a corresponding map of the sections, keeping each section separate and numbered to indicate its location on the map.
He also painted the adjoining edges of the sections with different dyes to differentiate the superior edges from the inferior. Reference marks were also made on the original surgical site to show exactly where each color coded section had originated. Thus, any further surgery that might be required would occur only in the part of the surgical site where a cancerous section had been found. Frozen sections were prepared of the undersides of each excised section, and they were mounted on slides and examined under the microscope. Each slide was labeled to indicate the particular section’s position on the map. If sections showed no evidence of cancer, no further surgery would be required. However, if a section revealed cancer cells, surgery would continue only in its corresponding portion of the surgical site. The zinc chloride paste would be reapplied to that area, and the entire procedure repeated, until no more cancer cells remained in any specimens. Five to seven days later, an “eschar” (a scab on the fixed tissue site) would separate, leaving healthy, healing tissue behind. Surgical repair of the wound could then be performed.
The technique had many advantages over standard excisional surgery, where the physician simply removes the tumor and a wide extra swath of presumably normal skin around it as a safety margin.
First and foremost, chemosurgery allowed 100 percent of the cancer to be removed while sparing the most possible tissue. By avoiding overly aggressive surgery and the removal of too much healthy tissue, it produced a much better cosmetic result.
When Dr. Mohs first spoke of chemosurgery at a conference of plastic surgeons, he was greeted with nearly universal dismay and skepticism. When I began to practice the technique in 1965, only one out of everyfive dermatologists and possibly one of out every 20 physicians were aware that this technique for treatingskin cancers even existed.
In the fall of 1965, I visited Dr. Mohs in Madison,WI, where he was using chemosurgery daily. After five weeks of training, I purchased a “how-to” kit, a jar of zinc chloride paste and Dr. Mohs’ textbook, which I took back to New York. I began to put what he had taught me into practice, but I was initially met with the same kind of resistance he faced. Many of my colleagues considered chemotherapy “black magic,” and pointed out how uncomfortable the zinc chloride was to patients. They believed that dermatologists should not also be surgeons. Some attempts were even made to have me removed from the NYU faculty and expelled from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
Nonetheless, the potential value of the technique was all too clear to me, and I was convinced that with some additional training, dermatologists could become experts in excising skin cancers with the procedure. After all, we were the physicians best trained to recognize skin cancers, so we should also be the best at removing them. And chemosurgery seemed to guarantee the most success. Fortunately, a few other physicians agreed with me. At an international meeting, five other Mohs surgeons and I had a founders meeting at a dinner hosted by Dr. Mohs in Munich, Germany. We agreed to form a chemosurgery society and to hold our first meeting at the next annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), in Chicago. In December of 1965,we indeed held our first meeting in the Palmer House’s “number 10 Wabash Room,” where we continued to meet for years. Only 20 of us attended that first meeting — we were essentially the only physicians practicing the technique in the country.
Now if you really want to understand the mechansim and just HOW EFFECTIVE Bloodroot paste aka Zinc Chloride paste is or better yet..If you want the actual Mohs recipe...it's all HERE ( BTW the blue letters mean it's hyperlink, you click on it and it takes you the references website)
That link is to a patent filed in the the U.S. patent office back in 2000 ..Though it is for a Zinc Chloride paste application method...the detail and information it provides into Zinch Chloride paste / Bloodroot paste is invaluable...
read it and weep... here's a little excerpt from it..
Zinc chloride was discovered by Sir Humphry Davy of Bristol, United Kingdom, in 1815. It was used for the treatment of cancer by Canquoin of Paris and by Bougard of Brussels in the early part of the nineteenth century. Zinc chloride is a very potent chemical which deeply penetrates and kills tissue. While a research assistant in the department of zoology at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, founder of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology, observed that the injection of zinc chloride into cancerous tissue not only caused tissue necrosis (cell death), but, additionally, the microscopic structure of the killed tissue was retained as if the tissue had been excised and immersed in a fixative, or histologically preserving solution. Dr. Mohs developed an anti-skin cancer paste containing zinc chloride and the escharotic bloodroot plant, Sanguinaria canadensis. The formula is as follows: Stibnite (alpha, beta-Diphenylethylene 80-mesh sieve), 40 g; Sanguinaria canadensis, 10 g; and zinc chloride, saturated solution, 34.5 mL (zinc chloride 45% by weight). Since 1941, Dr. Mohs has published a textbook and numerous articles on the successful treatment of skin cancer and melanoma using this zinc chloride paste. Dr. Mohs referred to the paste as “zinc chloride fixative paste” and the surgery as “chemosurgery” or “fixed-tissue micrographic surgery”. For the treatment of melanoma, Mohs utilized a layer by layer excision technique in addition to in situ fixation of the tumorous tissue with zinc chloride fixative paste. In fixed-tissue surgery, a clinically apparent melanoma is first treated with zinc chloride fixative paste prior to any biopsy or debulking procedure. The next day, a layer of fixed tissue is excised and frozen histologic sections are made for microscopic examination to confirm the clinical diagnosis of melanoma. The melanoma is then excised layer-by-layer, with each successive layer first fixed in situ, then conservatively removed for microscopic scanning of the entire undersurface utilizing frozen histologic sections cut horizontally from the bottom of the excised specimens. The edges of the specimens are color coded by the application of dyes for precise orientation as the sections are scanned under the microscope. The zinc chloride paste is reapplied as necessary until a melanoma-free plane has been reached. An extra margin of surrounding tissue is then removed by zinc chloride fixed-tissue surgery to encompass satellite deposits that may be present in the surrounding skin lymphatics.
In 1977, Mohs published data on 103 consecutive patients with mainly advanced melanomas treated with zinc chloride fixative paste (64% Clark's level V lesions, 20% regional lymph node involvement). The 5-year cure rate was compared with a series of melanomas treated conventionally by surgical excision alone at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and stratified by Clark's level of invasion. In the Clark's melanoma classification system there are five levels. Clark's I being the most superficial and V being the deepest invasion of the skin and penetration into fatty tissue under the skin. Both studies were completed in 1968. In the conventional surgery series, all the melanomas were primary tumors without regional lymph node metastases, and the incidence of level V invasion was only one-sixth that of the zinc chloride fixative cases. Despite a 20% incidence of nodal metastases and a six times greater incidence of level V melanomas in the fixed tissue series, a significant (p=0.003) one and a half times improvement in five year survival was achieved using zinc chloride fixative paste. (Mohs, FE: Chemosurgery for melanoma. Arch Dermatol 133: 285-291,1977; Brooks, N A: Fixed-tissue micrographic surgery in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma, J. Dermatol Surg. Oncol. 1992; 18: 999-1000.)
Again... as someone who used MULTIPLE do it yourself methods to remove several skin cancers... here are my results...
Baking Soda Paste - actually worked! Painful and messy and had to keep reapplying... but it "ate away" about half of the Squamous cell... but left it a bloody oozing mess. Felt like ice picks were stabbing me in the back too. ... not recommended. Messy.
Curaderm - worked a little bit. Perhaps if I had been more patient, and willing to reapply over and over and over again, the Curaderm would have done the job... though I was halfway through a $100 tube when I got bored with the whole thing. Painful but not as bad as the baking soda. ... expensive, slow, not recommended.
Bloodroot Paste - specifically Amazon Topical Black Salve - THE WINNER! Purchased for $26 from Equador and that INCLUDED the shipping. Applied it as directed... 24 hours. Washed off and reapplied and bandaged for a couple of weeks. Just left it alone. Hurt like the dickens the first couple of days so I was taking some massive pain killers. After the first 3 days though the pain was down to almost nothing. Best of all though... I didn't have to mess with it. No reapplying and with the whole thing covered, it was not a mess at all. After the alloted time, I removed the bandage and a big lump of flesh just fell out leaving a quarter sized crater in my skin with nice, healthy looking pink edges. It filled in within a few days... week tops. I had a slight scar... more a discoloration where the new tissue was smoother and finer than the old skin... though now it's been over 6 years later and you almost can't tell unless you are looking for it. Best of all... I used the SAME $26 jar of Black Salve on two more areas of skin cancer... worked just as well for them. One was on my forehead and you can't hardly tell it was there anymore. ... can personally recommend over the other two choices and, frankly, surgery. After all this cost $26... a pittance for a great outcome.
This site is for educational purposes...you just posted what I see as biased, uniformed and ubsubstantiated negative info on bloodroot paste.
I have replied with factual hard evidence to the contrary..
Our own member Hoxsey had a horrible experience with the paste and lost a good portion of her nose...Why it went that way for her is left for she and all of us to decide. Was it bad paste? Did the skin cancer really go all that way? God only knows. She is one brave tough cookie for sharing her experience here on this forum.
Is it possible some people used a paste that was not made to Mohs standards...probably so.... there are a ton of people out there selling a huge variety of paste to choose from.
If someone chooses to go the bloodroot paste they definitely need to understand the possible consequences...and to be absolutely sure ifthey choose to "go for it" they are getting it from a reliable source...with users that they can speak to first hand before using it on themselves.
You mention pictures out on the net ..yes people should definitely search out and see what can happen...just be sure to not stop at only looking at the pictures on quackwatch. For every negative site out there on the topic there are plenty of people like myself who have had success, albeit painful and scaring with the paste.
You already know I am holding off on using bloodroot paste again and am experimenting with other things that I will not discuss on the forum at this point in time... I hold off only to avoid pointing people into a direction that may not work..
Somewhere around 12 years ago I hunted down several people on the net who had used bloodroot paste and posted comments about.. I either e-mailed them or called them and talked to the personally...There was one underlying theme ..they all had been through slice and dice derma hell and as the guy that pushed me over the top to go for it said..."I only wish I had started using bloodroot paste 10 years and 6 surgeries earlier...."
Looks like the common denominator is that most are struggling to heal bcc's and scc's with curaderm past the 3month period. I have successfully treated a bcc on my arm with curaderm which healed within 2 months. However at the same time I also started to treat a bcc on my face with curaderm. I'm now past six months and still left with a big hole in my face. The bcc on my face is older than the one on my arm. Have anyone had success once you go past 3months with curaderm? What does the people from Curaderm say about treatments past 3months?
Looks like the common denominator is that most are struggling to heal bcc's and scc's with curaderm past the 3month period. I have successfully treated a bcc on my arm with curaderm which healed within 2 months. However at the same time I also started to treat a bcc on my face with curaderm. I'm now past six months and still left with a big hole in my face. The bcc on my face is older than the one on my arm. Have anyone had success once you go past 3months with curaderm? What does the people from Curaderm say about treatments past 3months?
Chris
I have had many lesions go way past three months to get rid of. I have to use plenty of cream with each application (the tape will soak up some of the cream). I have to thoroughly clean the lesions prior to each re application to get rid of surrounding dead skin so that the lesions each heal from the bottom up and not get buried.
Assuming the lesions I've had are typical, usually as a deep lesion heals it will decrease in depth while getting wider in diameter on the surface, and then gradually disappear or 'melt' into the surrounding normal skin. They heal from the bottom up. Occasionally a very deep lesion may shrink from the sides while remaining deep in the center, then reduce in depth and spread outward on the surface, and then melt into the surrounding normal skin. That's all different from lesions getting covered over with dead skin due to they’re not being cleaned properly prior to reapplying the cream and tape, and thus leaving red spots which won't disappear or go away. Any remaining red spot or spots will also melt into the color of the surrounding skin if I start really working on them again and put on enough cream with each application to get the above final result. That's, a summary my experience so far.
The current Curaderm literature says the time necessary to heal a lesion can go longer than three months, but it doesn't go into detail about all the variables. There are, somewhat obviously, many variables such as how old, deep, dense, and/or extensive the cancer is, whether or not enough cream is being used with each application to aggressively attack the cancer, how well the lesion is getting cleaned, and the number of cream applications per day. I have found that twice per day is the most cost effective. The web site with the most current literature, relevant photos, and videos, that I know of is CuradermCream(dot)com
I have been using Curaderm as an experiment to see what it will do, if anything. I have AK on my face, and began using Curaderm on places that don't show. Yowza! The product worked as described, and hurt like a mouth full of yellow jackets. However, after the close to two months, and the craters closing up, no more pus, no burning on application, there are still very red spots, not pink, bright red. I also am sensitive to the paper tape, it pulls off skin, and leaves irritation which may be the primary source of the redness.
In any case the whole areas itch. I bought some Tamanu Oil to assist that healing, and the oil turns the red even redder for a few days, then begins to fade gradually. Problem is it makes the itching more intense, and causes little red bumps to appear hear and there.
The largest lesion on my arm had been a barely noticeable red spot for years, and became a large crater. Just as it was nearly closed, and looking so much better, a new red bump appeared an inch from it. So I treated it with the same result of crater and so on. But then each day or so a new red bump would appear moving up my arm. WHAT!? I treated each one with same results, mostly. Some of the bumps seem to scab only, indicating to me that maybe I'm having an allergic reaction to the Tamanu oil on the healed areas with those spots.
My question, and no I am doing this at home with no physician assistance, because the doc froze the AK on my temple, but didn't do it long enough, no blister, no sore, no change. A month later I suggested to him wasn't he supposed to hold it on for 40 seconds. He replied he was concerned about damaging my skin. Sweet man. But left me with the same AK as before. When I heard of the Curaderm on the Dr Oz moment, I decided to try it. Oh, so the question: Curaderm isn't supposed to cause more lesions to appear. Right? So what the heck? Maybe I had something that was more progressed than I realized. It seemed insignificant to me so the doc never saw it.
I plan to go in to see the doc now. as spots are appearing all over my body and face to some degree. Though it seems to do that while using the Tamanu oil. Now I am thoroughly confused and have scared myself nearly witless.
Any similar experiences would be appreciated. Wisdom welcome.
In any case the whole areas itch. I bought some Tamanu Oil to assist that healing, and the oil turns the red even redder for a few days, then begins to fade gradually. Problem is it makes the itching more intense, and causes little red bumps to appear hear and there.
The largest lesion on my arm had been a barely noticeable red spot for years, and became a large crater. Just as it was nearly closed, and looking so much better, a new red bump appeared an inch from it. So I treated it with the same result of crater and so on. But then each day or so a new red bump would appear moving up my arm. WHAT!? I treated each one with same results, mostly. Some of the bumps seem to scab only, indicating to me that maybe I'm having an allergic reaction to the Tamanu oil on the healed areas with those spots.
Oh, so the question: Curaderm isn't supposed to cause more lesions to appear. Right? So what the heck? Maybe I had something that was more progressed than I realized. It seemed insignificant to me so the doc never saw it.
I plan to go in to see the doc now. as spots are appearing all over my body and face to some degree. Though it seems to do that while using the Tamanu oil. Now I am thoroughly confused and have scared myself nearly witless.
Any similar experiences would be appreciated. Wisdom welcome.
Hi evoc,
My experience is that the Tanamu Oil has no effect of causing more lesions to appear. The Curaderm cream however will slowly begin affecting the cancers nearby to the one(s) that you are treating and begin creating other lesions as it affects the nearby cancer areas where you didn't yet know that you had any cancer because it had not yet surfaced so that you could see any signs of it. I have never seen the cream create a lesion or lesions where there is no underlying cancer. If it did that, one lesion would go on expanding and not stop. The lesions I usually get from using the cream are definite holes, craters, or oval shapes, all of which can be surprisingly deep. 1/8" deep is not unusual. Sometimes there will be several holes in a straight or curved line. As a deep hole heals and gets shallow, it will increase in diameter. That allows more cream to get into the cancer cells. AKs are very shallow to begin with and they are easy to quickly get rid of using Curaderm.
My guess is that by the time you are using the Oil to finish up the healing, the cream is biochemically getting transferred to the nearby AKs or cancers that you didn't know you have because they are or were not yet visible in any recognizable way on the skin surface. In other words, there is a time lag for the cream to begin affecting nearby cancers. Also I have found that just because a lesion may close up but leave a dark red area where it was, the treatment with the cream should NOT stop. If you don’t get the red spot or area to ‘melt’ into the color of the surrounding normal skin, treatment with the cream is not 100 percent complete and the lesion will probably return a few months later even if you use the oil. Especially so if you still get even a slight stinging sensation from applying the cream. The Oil helps to heal the very light redness afterward, especially not deep dark red spots that were previously open raw meat lesions produced by the cream.
My opinion is that if the spots are bright or dark red, you still need to clean them throughly with Hibiclens to remove the dead skin covering, and apply the cream. Hibiclens removes dead skin relatively easily that doesn't come off by picking at them with a finger nail, or only using a wash cloth. If you don’t kill all the cancer with the cream it will still be there, although beaten down by what you did by using the cream previously. Then, when the cancer resurfaces, it will be smaller and less deep, and you will have less to deal with because your use of the cream previously. That’s how I’m now interpreting my experience, and the product instructions.
My advice to everyone using Curaderm is to thoroughly finish what you are working on before you begin applying the cream to any nearby areas that are beginning to show up. Ignore them for the time being. My error was that I didn’t do that. It's difficult to estimate how big and deep the lesions will be if you apply the cream. Don't try to treat more than two square inches of AK or other lesion area at one time. If in the sun a lot over the course of your life like I was, and you are covered with lots of still invisible skin cancers, you can easily end up with more open lesion area at various stages of treatment completion than you have time in every day to cope with.
I have been using Curaderm on a lesion on the back of my thigh for 135 painful days now. It had been a small wart (the size of a pencil eraser) on which I had tried many remedies for a couple of years. It had been frozen by the doctor numerous times, I used over the counter wart remover, apple cider vinegar, bentonite clay, thuja, and other things. Nothing worked and eventually it changed and started bleeding. At that point it was determined to be a BCC. That is when I started researching alternatives to surgery. At that point, the lesion was as big as a quarter and ulcerated in the middle with raised edges.
I started Curaderm in September 2013 and the lesion is now the size of a half dollar and very painful. I have had the typical reaction of the yellow substance which seeps quite a lot. Since it's on the back of my thigh, I need to cover the lesion with the paper tape and a large gauze bandage over it all so that it doesn't seep onto my clothes. I need to change the dressing every three or four hours to keep up with the seepage. The Curaderm has "eaten" away all the way down to what I am is assuming is the dermis. Very painful! I had to take a week off work because the pain was so bad and I could barely walk because of it.
I am anticipating being in this much pain for quite a few months ahead while it continues to go through the process of killing the cancer cells and eventually healing. Is there anything anyone can suggest for the pain other than over the counter pain medication? I am looking for alternatives.
I am no longer under the care of a doctor because I have no health insurance and limited finances. Just buying the Curaderm is really stretching my budget.
Thanks for letting me vent a bit and any input would be welcome. Skin Cancer is horrible, painful and life altering. I hate it! The pain of this lesion never goes away and I will be glad when it is gone!!
I have been using Curaderm on a lesion on the back of my thigh for 135 painful days now. It had been a small wart (the size of a pencil eraser) on which I had tried many remedies for a couple of years. It had been frozen by the doctor numerous times, I used over the counter wart remover, apple cider vinegar, bentonite clay, thuja, and other things. Nothing worked and eventually it changed and started bleeding. At that point it was determined to be a BCC. That is when I started researching alternatives to surgery. At that point, the lesion was as big as a quarter and ulcerated in the middle with raised edges.
I started Curaderm in September 2013 and the lesion is now the size of a half dollar and very painful. I have had the typical reaction of the yellow substance which seeps quite a lot. Since it's on the back of my thigh, I need to cover the lesion with the paper tape and a large gauze bandage over it all so that it doesn't seep onto my clothes. I need to change the dressing every three or four hours to keep up with the seepage. The Curaderm has "eaten" away all the way down to what I am is assuming is the dermis. Very painful! I had to take a week off work because the pain was so bad and I could barely walk because of it.
I am anticipating being in this much pain for quite a few months ahead while it continues to go through the process of killing the cancer cells and eventually healing. Is there anything anyone can suggest for the pain other than over the counter pain medication? I am looking for alternatives. ______________________________________________________________________________________
Hello llinda,
The largest lesion I had on my back became the size of a half dollar. It sounds like you may be at that painful point. Mine then halted and did not grow larger. It began to shrink slowly. As it shrinks more and more, the pain of application of Curaderm decreases, as does the discomfort from the lesion itself. Hang in there, sounds like you are doing everything right.
To Howardz43,
Thank you for your input. I did use the Curaderm until there was no more stinging/burning at all. The redness did appear as new skin. My skin is pale, been out of the sun for some years now, and so the red did remain. In fact, I find I react to the adhesive on the micropore tape. That has left a larger redder spot than the lesion itself as it tore off new skin left around the healing lesion. Now after two months, the red from the tape has begun to fade in some of the areas, leaving a small fading red and shiny spot where the lesion healed. That is also slowly fading.
I used the Curaderm a couple of weeks longer than I should have on my back, leaving wounds from the tape which was very painful to remove, causing the Curaderm to burn that area. Eventually I realized the lesion had healed and the tape was the problem. I now have redness that will likely remain, as it has not faded significantly. Oh well.
Perhaps if I had started off with tanner skin, the redness would be less noticeable. I was careful not to stop while the cream still burned the lesion. The largest lesion on my arm is still red where the crater left a scar, long and narrow, yet is very slowly fading. The craters seem to widen a bit after healing then shrink and slowly fade. Perhaps everyone's skin is a bit different.
Hi, evoc ~ Thank you for your encouragement! I was wondering how you dealt with the lesion being on your back. Was it difficult to treat? I can't imagine putting on the cream and the paper tape! We're you able to go about your daily activities such as a job or even wearing a shirt comfortably. I don't know if there is anything comfortable about treating a lesion with Curaderm! Did you deal with seepage getting on your clothing?
Sorry for all of the questions, but I don't know anyone personally who has dealt with skin cancer in this way. Linda
I have a diagnosed nodular BCC on my nose. It is on the bridge of the nose and not the side. Has anyone used curaderm for here? I am concerned as skin is thin. My dermatologist would prescribe Aldara but not discuss curaderm. Also should I use the curasol sunscreen on surrounding face when treating with curaderm? Thank you in advance for any help.
Kayone, I don't have any experience using Curaderm on my face, but hopefully someone will be able to answer your question here and I wish you well!
I do have a question for anyone who has any experience with using Curaderm and the yellow spongy substance that forms in the deep lesion. My lesion in on the back of my thigh, is about the size of a half dollar and has quite a bit of the yellow spongy substance throughout it. The Curaderm seems to liquefy it and it seeps off. Sometimes small bits of it comes off when I'm cleaning it. I am always careful to clean it gently because it is so painful and I don't want to cause a problem by being too aggressive. So, would it by alright to be more aggressive in rubbing off some of the spongy yellow substance to get this process to move a little faster. I'm on my 150th day of treatment and I don't see any end in sight. The lesion is still producing quite a bit of this yellow stuff and seems to be growing in width, but shrinking in height. Strange!
I am now taking Tramadol to help with the pain. It is taking the edge off, but I still have so much trouble walking. Thanks for any input! Linda
I don't think that Curaderm is working for me. The lesion on the back of my leg is a mess. It's a bit larger than a half dollar and appears to be getting larger. Curaderm ate down to what I think is the dermis. There is a spongy yellow substance inside of the outer edge. There is one section that has a brown spongy substance, which concerns me. As always, it is very painful to treat, which I am doing 3 times per day. I change it 3 times because it seeps a lot. I have been using Curaderm for 6 months now. Sometimes it bleeds. The skin is swollen directly below the lesion. I can hardly walk because of the pain. I am a piano teacher at a music school and I have asked to take an indefinite time off with a substitute taking my students. No work, no income. Basically, I am home bound now. My husband is great and does all of the household chores, as well as work. I confess that I have been self treating. We don't have health insurance or enough money to go to a doctor. I know that wasn't smart, but had no choice. We will be looking on the "Obama Care" site to see about health insurance. I am really worried that I have made my situation worse. I am thinking the worse is ahead, such as surgery and skin grafting and hopefully, what I have isn't life threatening. It started out as a wart on the back of my thigh. After treating it with over the counter remedies and natural remedies, it turned into an ulcerated lesion. After reading about Curaderm, I thought it would be the answer. Maybe not. Sorry, but I'm just venting. And scared. I don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but if you have any advice, I'm listening. Thanks, Linda
Mine finally disappeared after using 1000 mg garlic oil (use nothing less) watch this you tube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1prMLheu0s Good Luck to you...I know how scarey it can be. All the best...
JLO, thank you so much for your reply! I watched the YouTube video and it was amazing to see the results from garlic oil. I'm glad you had such good results, also. You said to use 1,000 mg of garlic oil. Could you describe to me how you used it? Did you clean your lesion with anything before applying the garlic oil? How many times a day did you apply it? Did you eat garlic cloves as well? How long before you started seeing results? What other kinds of treatments did you try before using garlic oil? What did your lesion look like before you began treating it with garlic oil? Please forgive all of these many questions!! I am really considering giving garlic oil a try as I am really trying to avoid surgery, etc.
I am really suffering through this treatment. I did call a dermatologist to make an appointment today and the earliest they can see me is April 28. Having no insurance and not much money, I have been self diagnosing and self treating with Curaderm all along. (except for using apple cider vinegar at the very beginning because it looked like a wart) I found that through the health care system the dermatologist is part of, they have a reduced fee program. I am in the process of applying. I described to her what my lesion looks like and told her of my self diagnosis and treatment. She didn't seem too alarmed and said the best she could do was April 28. I am going to attach three pictures to this post. I apologize if they are difficult to look at. They are gross! But, I'd like to know if anyone else has had their lesions look this terrible. I am having trouble uploading my pictures. I'm getting an internal server error. I'm posting this now and hope to upload the pictures in my next post. Linda
I'm still unable to post any pictures, but my husband took a picture of the lesion to the dermatologist to see if I could get in any sooner. Well, now I have an appointment tomorrow at 3:30. I guess it's pretty bad looking!
Well, I had my appointment with the dermatologist today. After examining my lesion, he said that he didn't need to do a biopsy. He knew it was a basal cell carcinoma. The greater concern is that the Curaderm has eaten down to the muscle! He had heard of curaderm and does not recommend it at all! He said that I was a "real tough chick" to be able to handle this kind of pain for months. I now have a consultation appointment with a surgeon on Monday morning and will be having surgery next week as soon as possible. He is certain that I will need a skin graft. So, needless to say, Curaderm did not work for me!
Hi llinda, it is good that you got in to see the dermatologist. There have been mixed results on this forum with Curaderm, certainly not the 100% cure rate that has been claimed by the makers in the past. Thanks for your posts, it helps other people to see what you went through and decide on potential treatments. Keep us updated if you can.
I wonder if one of the lessons to be learned is to set a trial limit for any topical skin cancer treatment before seeing conclusive results. I don't really know what a good trial length should be but 60 days or so seems reasonable to me before trying something else. I doesn't help that the Curaderm people insist that all anyone needs is patience and more Curaderm.
I just tried to post a small picture and it worked for me. Probably your picture file size is way too big for the forum software. Typical digital pictures are 500KB to 8000KB nowadays. The forum software limits the picture file size to around 80KB so the picture may need to be re-saved with much less resolution using a photo editor before uploading.
Thanks, Dan for your reply! I had my appointment with the surgeon yesterday. When he saw my lesion, his eyes got big and said he had never seen anything quite like it. It reminded him of a bed sore. I told him about Curaderm and he thought that it was a terrible product. He wasn't sure if it was skin cancer or if it was a severe burn from using Curaderm. So, he did three punch biopsies. So painful with how raw my skin was there! I have an appointment on Thursday to go over the pathology report and see where we go from here. Right now, he has my husband changing the dressing in the back of my leg with a wet/dry dressing. It is taking square of gauze, folding it, making it wet with sterile saline solution and putting it on the open wound and layering it with two more squares of gauze and paper taping it all in place. This is to be done twice a day. If it is not skin cancer, then it will be treated as a burn wound at the wound clinic, probably using a wound VAC for about a month. If that doesn't work, a skin graft might still be needed. If it is a basal cell carcinoma, then I will go through surgery to remove it. He said that the wound after surgery might be too big for a skin graft right away and that I would need to have the wound VAC in place while enough of the skin regenerated to make a skin graft possible. What a terrible ordeal this has been. All because of no insurance and thinking that Curaderm would be the answer. I never had a biopsy to determine what it was before using curaderm. Big mistake! Maybe Curaderm works for certain BCCs or SCCs, but not all (even if that's what I have). Curaderm makes it seem so easy!
Wow - doesn't sound like a good endorsement for curaderm!! Hope that everything heals ok for you…please let us all know what the biopsy shows - I have confirmed BCC on my nose and have curaderm ready to use - but I am holding offf….more than a little nervous to start ….thank you for taking the time to post on here after you are going another way…it really helps everyone.
Well, I don't know quite where to start. I guess I'm feeling quite overwhelmed and in shock. I saw the surgeon today and the preliminary diagnosis from the pathology report is: Left posterior thigh wound, punch biopsy *poorly differentiated malignancy *differential includes malignant melanoma and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma *special stains are pending, results will be reported in an addendum.
He said that he was surprised at the results because he didn't think it looked like skin cancer, but he thought that Curaderm had burnt the lesion down to the muscle. He said that he wouldn't be doing the surgery after all because it would be too deep. He's referring me to a plastic surgeon, who will do the surgery and a skin flap. He actually blames Curaderm for my situation. He said that he didn't think I had cancer to begin with, but that Curaderm actually caused the cancer by doing so much damage to the skin.
Is it possible for the Curaderm to have caused a false/positive result?!?
I am so afraid at seeing the word melanoma and even squamous cell carcinoma. I didn't know what the other terms meant ( and the surgeon didn't seem sure, either), so I googled them. After reading them and knowing that my lesion goes down to the dermis, I am so frightened! My doctor said that the cancer is not in the middle of the lesion, where the muscle is exposed, but around the ridge where he did the biopsy. From what I read, a poorly differentiated malignancy is a very bad sign! :-(
Again, does anyone know if it's possible for Curaderm to cause a false / positive report? Linda
So sorry for your results with Curaderm. As I mentioned in my previous post... I tried Curaderm and had slow, slow results and gave up.
I then used the Amazon Topical Black Salve which worked AS DESCRIBED... bad pain for no more than 3 days... complete removal of the cancerous area (Squamous) after two weeks.
It's also cheaper... $26 included shipping from Ecuador versus $100 for one tube of Curaderm. I got three treatments from the Amazon and had enough left that I gave to someone else.
I'm not surprised at the "burning" from the Curaderm really. I'm sure it didn't "cause" your cancer... just didn't work effectively to remove it.
lllinda -- I'm not a doctor, so I am really just giving an educated guess here based on having been through being told I had kidney cancer when I did not, (finally getting the correct diagnosis by having my samples sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC); and many discussions with oncologists (brother-in-law, etc.): You can't GIVE yourself skin cancer by damaging your skin with curaderm or anything else. (Well, maybe there are chemicals which are of such a nature as to induce cancer, but I doubt curaderm is one of them.) You certainly can't give yourself melanoma, which is not really a SKIN cancer, it is a highly aggressive cancer that spreads very easily and is thought of as skin cancer because it pops out on the skin. (My father has metastatic melanoma.)
What I think is hapening is that the pathologist who looked at your samples is making a guess because he has never seen this before and is trying to fit what he is seeing into the catagories that he knows about. The report says "special stains are pending" so you need to wait for that before you can conclude anything. Even then, if anyone thinks you have melanoma or even a bad case of "poorly differentiated" SCC, they will advise you to get a PET scan to see if it has spread. A second opinion would be a good idea -- unfortunately, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has closed, and been replaced by the Joint Pathology Center which may not accept samples from private doctors. You could ask about that, or ask where does Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center send their samples when they don't know what they are looking at . . . but I would not accept a horrible diagnosis and certainly not do any treatment (other than wound care, which you certainly need), without a second opinion from a world-class expert.
Remember, most doctors are completely unwilling to admit (even to themselves) that they don't know something; and medicine is not a science, it is an ART. That's why they call it "practicing medicine."
I really wish you the best.
gloe
quote:Originally posted by lllinda
Well, I don't know quite where to start. I guess I'm feeling quite overwhelmed and in shock. I saw the surgeon today and the preliminary diagnosis from the pathology report is: Left posterior thigh wound, punch biopsy *poorly differentiated malignancy *differential includes malignant melanoma and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma *special stains are pending, results will be reported in an addendum.
He said that he was surprised at the results because he didn't think it looked like skin cancer, but he thought that Curaderm had burnt the lesion down to the muscle. He said that he wouldn't be doing the surgery after all because it would be too deep. He's referring me to a plastic surgeon, who will do the surgery and a skin flap. He actually blames Curaderm for my situation. He said that he didn't think I had cancer to begin with, but that Curaderm actually caused the cancer by doing so much damage to the skin.
Is it possible for the Curaderm to have caused a false/positive result?!?
I am so afraid at seeing the word melanoma and even squamous cell carcinoma. I didn't know what the other terms meant ( and the surgeon didn't seem sure, either), so I googled them. After reading them and knowing that my lesion goes down to the dermis, I am so frightened! My doctor said that the cancer is not in the middle of the lesion, where the muscle is exposed, but around the ridge where he did the biopsy. From what I read, a poorly differentiated malignancy is a very bad sign! :-(
Again, does anyone know if it's possible for Curaderm to cause a false / positive report? Linda
Hi llinda, that is a troubling diagnosis and I hope and pray that you will get through this. Like gloe says, maybe your situation is unique because of the long term use of Curaderm and the cell types found don't really fit the expected categories.
My understanding of cancer is that it needs three things to progress: cell damage, a compromised immune system (specifically a lack of pancreatic enzymes and viable natural killer cells), and certain (female) stimulating hormones. It is possible that Curaderm could have contributed if it caused cell damage via chronic inflammation.
I hope you were able to get health insurance. With much bad press on the so called Affordable Care Act, it would be nice to hear that it worked for someone.
Thank you, everyone for your helpful advice and encouragement. My doctor called today and spoke to my husband because I wasn't available at the time he called. The pathology results are in and it''s not melanoma, which I was very relieved to hear! It is a squamous cell carcinoma. My husband will be picking up the pathology report tomorrow, so I will see the details. I have an appointment at Penn State Hershey Medical with the plastic surgeon a week from today. I was concerned about waiting so long, seeing that it is an open wound and just wanting this off of my body. The nurse from Hershey said that if it was serious or life threatening, they would have me in immediately. I am continuing to dress it with a wet to dry sterile saline gauze dressing. We have sent pictures to the surgeon who did the biopsies and the surgeon at Hershey. They say that it looks good, with no infection. I think it actually looks healthier than when I was using Curaderm. I thought that Curaderm was supposed to cure squamous cell carcinomas. It didn't work in my case and obviously caused a lot of damage. By the way, the finances have worked out. We are applying this week for Obamacare. But, in the meantime, both our local hospital, doctor and Hershey medical have programs that help people without insurance who have financial needs. I had to take a leave of absence from my job three weeks ago because I can hardly walk because of the Curaderm burning down to my muscle with a wound about the size if the palm of my hand. So, our finances have taken a beating. Hershey Medical said that they would pay for our Obamacare insurance while I am undergoing care there. Where I work has given us grocery store gift cards and there is a church who wants to give us gas gift cards to help with the 1 1/2 hour drive. So, overall things are working out. The doctor who did the biopsies said that we should sue Curaderm. He is very upset with their marketing and how they instruct us to keep using it until new skin appears. I don't think we can sue them because I didn't use it under a doctor's care. Again, I appreciate all of the suggestions that were given. They were all good suggestions and I appreciate the time and care that you took to share them with me. If it's ok with all of you, I will fill you in on the details of the report and how things turn out. It helps to "talk" to all of you because I know that you understand.
You probably already know I am not a Curaderm fan. There have been some very emphatic people on this forum that swear by it.
I think you would be hard pressed to sue them as they are based outside of the United States...go figure.
The truth of the matter is you tried and it didn't work..now you must go the traditional way which is far from perfect in of itself.
Like with Hoxey and her Bloodroot paste nightmare there is no telling how deep and far your skin cancer was when you started the treatment with Curaderm..All we do know is it didn't work.. I had a few big BCC's that I could never get to go away with Curaderm and I, like you, went through a LOT of senseless pain trying to use the Curaderm as per their "Keep applying, keep buying" mantra.
Prayers going out to you and your family as you trudge through this ..Hoping for a fast and successful outcome and recovery.
Lynn, if I were you, I would not use the Curaderm on the face, unless you are doing so with a dermatologist's guidance. In fact, I would let the dermatologist remove it. It would be faster and leave little to no scarring. The Curaderm will go on for maybe 2-3 months of deep pain and leave redness that may not go away, and scarring. Of the eight spots I used it on, none is normal skin, and I did use it until 'normal skin' appeared (normal skin was still red) and there was no burning.
I've changed my mind on Curaderm and no longer support it. Some people have a good result, some people have lasting scarring.
quote:Originally posted by Lynn8384
Wow - doesn't sound like a good endorsement for curaderm!! Hope that everything heals ok for you…please let us all know what the biopsy shows - I have confirmed BCC on my nose and have curaderm ready to use - but I am holding offf….more than a little nervous to start ….thank you for taking the time to post on here after you are going another way…it really helps everyone.
Good luck to you Linda - thank you so much for posting - I will leave the curaderm in the refrigerator - but will not use it ….doesn't sound like something I want to put on my face after I read about what you went through. Best wishes on your surgery and a speedy recovery.
Thanks again, everyone for your kind responses! The final pathology report says that I have a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Not the worst news, but not great, either. From what I understand, this type can still be aggressive and metastasize. Scary stuff! I have a CAT scan scheduled right before my appointment with the surgeon on Thursday. Hopefully, the cancer is localized and has not spread.
When deciding on a treatment for skin cancer, even without insurance, it is best to investigate to see if help is available to pay for treatment. My mistake was that I thought I knew better than to consult a doctor. It is sometimes difficult to trust conventional medicine. I have treated other illnesses and recurrent health problems naturally with great success. It didn't work out this time. If I have to face radiation or chemo, those treatments really go against what I want to do. But, I'm not sure I want to take a chance and not use them, if I need them. I will use alternative treatments along with medical treatments.
Well, I know that I have gone off topic a bit. At this point, I don't think I would suggest that anyone use Curaderm. I've seen the testimonials and they really influenced me to try it. Curaderm says only to use it under a doctor's supervision. But, what doctor is going to agree to it when it isn't FDA approved?
Maybe, I could have tried some of the other suggestions discussed on this board, but I definitely waited too long to get a proper medical opinion. Best to you all, Linda I'll let you know updates, if you'd like.
I had a CAT scan and met with me surgeon this past Thursday. The CAT scan showed that the lesion is not down to the muscle like my previous doctor speculated, but it has just gone down a bit into the fat layer. This is good news! Also, she felt that my squamous cell lesion was a low risk for metastasis. Also good news! After the wide excision surgery that I will have on Wednesday, she will send it to pathology. This will be same day surgery! Pathology will test to see if the margins are clear of cancer cells. If not, I will come back for more surgery. She recommends letting the body heal itself because I am a *young* 55 year old with no other health problems. No stitches, skin flap or skin graft! A skin graft is an option for quicker healing, but I'm going to see how my body does in healing. She said that I can keep doing a wet to dry dressing twice a day with sterile saline. I will need frequent check ups in the coming months and years because these types of cancers sometimes return. I am happy with the prognosis and ready to put this Curaderm nightmare behind me!!
Maybe I am misunderstanding but if I am not, I am really surprised they are not doing MOHS surgery on this..Not trying to freak you out but being as you are going under the knife for what can be a very serious type of skin cancer, it would seem they would use the gold standard ( MOHS micrographic surgery) rather than slice, send out and maybe have you come back..
With MOHS the pathology is done right there on the spot (it takes about 1/2 to 1 hour each time they take a sample of the "Margins") ...if there is more to remove, they remove it right then and there..
The margins are the grey area of where the skin cancer ends and the healthy tissue begins...it is the surgeons "best guess" as to where the healthy tissue starts..When performing the MOhs technique they cut @ 1/8" further out, freeze the tissue...then slice it paper thin and examine the slices under the microscope for irregularities. If they see irregularities they cut another 1/8" out and test again...and again until they only see healthy tissue..
Zinc Chloride paste ( aka bloodroot paste ) was what doctor Mohs originally used to determine where the healthy skin was... He would apply the paste 24 hours prior to surgery...then the next day cut away everything that turned white..(They called this fizating the tumor)only unhealthy skin turned white....In actuality there are some dermatologist today that believe his original method is more accurate than the "new and improved" freeze and slice method.
I encourage you to question your dermatologist why she is not going the MOHS route with what is considered a serious type of skin cancer.
No matter what way you end up going, prayers of a successful surgery and a speedy awesome recovery are heading out your way.
Linda, this is all such great news! I am so happy for you. I do agree with anivoc that you should ask if you can have MOHS surgery, so you would not have to go back.
Best of luck, and let us know how you are doing.
gloe
quote:Originally posted by lllinda
I had a CAT scan and met with me surgeon this past Thursday. The CAT scan showed that the lesion is not down to the muscle like my previous doctor speculated, but it has just gone down a bit into the fat layer. This is good news! Also, she felt that my squamous cell lesion was a low risk for metastasis. Also good news! After the wide excision surgery that I will have on Wednesday, she will send it to pathology. This will be same day surgery! Pathology will test to see if the margins are clear of cancer cells. If not, I will come back for more surgery. She recommends letting the body heal itself because I am a *young* 55 year old with no other health problems. No stitches, skin flap or skin graft! A skin graft is an option for quicker healing, but I'm going to see how my body does in healing. She said that I can keep doing a wet to dry dressing twice a day with sterile saline. I will need frequent check ups in the coming months and years because these types of cancers sometimes return. I am happy with the prognosis and ready to put this Curaderm nightmare behind me!!
I just need to update my experience with curaderm from a few months back. I had 2 BCC's I treated with curaderm. One, on my face, right cheek which was 12+ years old, but very slow to change. The other was on my left bicep & was around 6 years old. I started with Acsorbic acid pharm-grade, while I was waiting on my curaderm because I saw people had good results with it. I also used it on my face between tubes of curaderm, which I don't recommend because it seemed to inflame things and cause more damage than good. After about 3 months of using curaderm on my arm, wondering if it was doing anything besides making my sore worse, it began to shrink the wound. Within 4 weeks (the open wound) was small enough, about the size of a pen or pencil tip in the center of the white flesh that curaderm causes, so that I felt I could stop using the cream and let it heal. It took about 2 more months for the bright pink to fade away, and I used tamanu oil occasionally on it. I am happy to say it worked very well on my arm. The wound never got too deep, although it looked nasty.
I recently finished using it on my face, which was a much slower process, as well as a much deeper wound. I used the cream about 6 months for my face. I used 4 tubes of curaderm total for both my face and arm, so around $500 invested. I was getting tired of the twice a day routine and people around me were telling me I better go to the doctor. I decided to stop, since the wound was taking so long to shrink. When I stopped using the cream my face was healing nicely, but still had about 1/8 inch deep by 1/4 inch round dimple after I stopped the curaderm. I had already made an appointment with my Dr. so her assistant took another biopsy from my cheek (about 7-8 years after the last one I had). I wasn't happy about getting my healing face cut again, but the results came back as basosquammas (spelling?) a combination of BCC and SCC. She said the creams usually don't work well on the deeper skin cancers.
I realize I am fortunate that my face BCC/SCC didn't spread more. I am scheduled for MOHS in about 2 weeks. My view on curaderm is that I think it works great for newer, superficial skin cancers, aside from melanoma of course. For older, deeper, or aggressive issues, I would go to the Dr.
I never experienced the pain issues others seemed to with the application of curaderm. It would sting for a few minutes to a half hour or sometimes 45 minutes, and then dissipate. I did notice though that certain foods would make it hurt, such as when I ate something with refined sugars or carbs, like corn chips, etc. I know they say sugar and carbs feed cancer, so that's probably what was happening. Somehow the curaderm let me feel it happening, because it doesn't happen now. I know our diet has a lot to do with keeping cancer at bay. I eat better than probably 90% of most in the U.S., but still can't completely kick sugar and carbs, or my home roasted coffee. I'll keep trying to slowly reduce my intake though.
Anyway, My estimated cost for my facial MOHS is around $1200 after insurance, so close to $1800 without. I had to meet a $750 and $250 deductible or it would have only cost me $200-$300. So curaderm is still cheaper if your cancer isn't too advanced. I think the guy in the famous video of using curaderm on his head worked well because it was in a spot that was very thin skin next to his skull. I have lots of photos of my face and arm throughout the 6 months, but no time to upload them right now. I hope my input helps. God bless and keep you. Luke
Good news! I had surgery last Wednesday. The whole experience at Hershey was very good! The doctor had more to remove than she originally planned and I was left with an open wound 4x3 and 1/2 deep. I had a follow up appointment yesterday. The pathology report came back negative. The doctor got all the cancer! Yay and thank you, God! I will still have some tests in the future just to be sure. At today's appointment, I was given a different, less painful way to dress the large surgical wound because I am healing so well! I am using Xeroform, a petroleum infused medicated gauze instead of the very painful wet to dry gauze dressings. I still have about two months of healing before I will be back to normal, but I am thankful! Linda
Linda, that's so wonderful. I am glad to hear it went well and you are happy with the result.
Blessings and prayers for rapid healing.
gloe
quote:Originally posted by lllinda
Good news! I had surgery last Wednesday. The whole experience at Hershey was very good! The doctor had more to remove than she originally planned and I was left with an open wound 4x3 and 1/2 deep. I had a follow up appointment yesterday. The pathology report came back negative. The doctor got all the cancer! Yay and thank you, God! I will still have some tests in the future just to be sure. At today's appointment, I was given a different, less painful way to dress the large surgical wound because I am healing so well! I am using Xeroform, a petroleum infused medicated gauze instead of the very painful wet to dry gauze dressings. I still have about two months of healing before I will be back to normal, but I am thankful! Linda
llinda, I am really happy for you as well! Thanks for the update. I agree with lucas that curaderm is probably great for superficial skin cancers, aside from melanoma of course. For deeper issues, look elsewhere based on our forum results.
hi I just thought I would post my curaderm experience here. I live in Australia and like most of you, that guy with the forehead BCC success story using curaderm prompted me to buy a tube. I have a (diagnosed) BCC on my right nostril and have been "curaderming' for 3 months. There was a few weeks where I was SO depressed and crying because it just seemed to uncover more little clusters of cancers beside the main area. There were days where I seriously wondered why i delayed my MOHS surgery twice :( Anyhow, the wound has just CLOSED in the last few days. I am not holding my breath and will get a biopsy done .. but it SEEMS to have worked. Again please don't take this as a "cure" story until i get a biopsy done! I have pics if anyone is interested. I was told my BCC was 5+ years old from what the Dr's said, and it started as a small reoccurring sore that was biopsied and properly diagnosed. I was supposed to have MOHS surgery on Monday and my Dr's are pretty mad with me to delay agin.. I hope this has worked!
Congratulations and I hope the biopsy comes back negative for any skin cancer.
Definitely share your pictures here...No pictures and it is all just talk with no "proof of the pudding"
Please don't take what I say further on here as an attack on you yourself. I am happy that you have had success with Curaderm.
Based on both the positive and negative Curaderm experiences shared here and out on the net I have come to believe like Dan mentioned above, that Curaderm does seem to work (sometimes) on some of the smaller and not so deep or thick type skin cancers but that is where it stops.
I guess my biggest problem with Curaderm is it's deceptive marketing and the price of the product..It's free enterprise and a person or business can charge what they want and what "the market will bear" Because there are not a lot of alternative options out there and because going under the knife is not any ones idea of a good time, it is my opinion that the makers of Curaderm take advantage of people that are in a rock and a hard place situation.
Cuarderm does not work on all non melanoma skin cancers.... this is not a maybe...this is for sure..
Their marketing is slick..e.g.
It has a clinically proven success rate of 80-100% across all pre-cancerous and non-melanoma skin cancers like keratoses, sun spots, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Then elsewhere:
In an open study, clinical and histological observations indicated that all lesions (56 keratoses, 39 BCCs and 29 SCCs) treated with [the preparation] had regressed.”(Meaning they were not gone but shrunk)
Then elsewhere:
A subsequent study by separate researchers also noted that a 0.005% mixture of solasodine glycosides called BEC5 is a “safe therapy" for basal cell carcinoma, with a cure rate of 66% at 8 weeks and 78% at 1 year follow-up.” What the heck is that supposed to mean...so if you apply this stuff for a year 78 out of 100 people are going to have 100% cure of their "basal cell carcinoma"
Talk about loosey goosey data...80 to 100 / Regressed / 66 to 78.. which is it?
worse yet ..and I hold this not just to Curaderm but dermatologist and the skin cancer industry in general is the way they and then we the trusting public go around talking about skin cancer..Next time your dermatologist tells you the lab report came back that you have basal cell carcinoma ask them which kind and most will look at you with a blank look on their face..
So they did this study on people with "basal cell carcinoma"...which kind?
This is from Wikipedia...
Appearance For simplicity, one can also divide basal-cell carcinoma into 3 groups, based on location and difficulty of therapy:
Superficial basal-cell carcinoma, or some might consider to be equivalent to "in-situ". Very responsive to topical chemotherapy such as Aldara, or Fluorouracil. It is the only type of basal-cell cancer that can be effectively treated with topical chemotherapy.
Infiltrative basal-cell carcinoma, which often encompasses morpheaform and micronodular basal-cell cancer. More difficult to treat with conservative treatment methods such as electrodessiccation and curettage, or with curettage alone.
Nodular basal-cell carcinoma, which essentially includes most of the remaining categories of basal-cell cancer. It is not unusual to encounter morphologic features of several variants of basal-cell cancer in the same tumor.
Ah but wait, "there's more!" Histological
Basal-cell carcinomas may be divided into the following types:[5][6]:646–650
Nodular basal-cell carcinoma (also known as "Classic basal-cell carcinoma") is a cutaneous condition, a subtype of basal-cell carcinoma, most commonly occurring on the sun-exposed areas of the head and neck.[5]:748[6]:646
Cystic basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by dome-shaped, blue-gray cystic nodules.[6]:647
Cicatricial basal-cell carcinoma (also known as "Morpheaform basal-cell carcinoma," and "Morphoeic basal-cell carcinoma") is a cutaneous condition, a subtype of basal-cell carcinoma, and is an aggressive variant with a distinct clinical and histologic appearance.[5]:748[6]:647
Infiltrative basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition which is an aggressive type of basal-cell carcinoma characterized by deep infiltration.[6]:647
Micronodular basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by a micronodular growth pattern.[6]:647
Superficial basal-cell carcinoma (also known as "Superficial multicentric basal-cell carcinoma") is a cutaneous condition, a subtype of basal-cell carcinoma, that occurs most commonly on the trunk and appears as an erythematous patch.[5]:748[6]:647
Pigmented basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition, a subtype of basal-cell carcinoma, that exhibits increased melanization.[5]:748[6]:647 About 80% of all basal cell carcinoma in Chinese are pigmented while this subtype is uncommon in white people.[citation needed]
Rodent ulcer (also known as a "Jacobi ulcer") is a large skin lesion of nodular basal cell carcinoma with central necrosis and is a type of Basal cell carcinoma[5]:748[6]:647
Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus is a cutaneous condition, a subtype of basal cell carcinoma, most commonly occurring on the lower back.[5]:748[6]:648
Polypoid basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by exophytic nodules (polyp-like structures) on the head and neck.[6]:648
Pore-like basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by a basal-cell carcinoma that resembles an enlarged pore or stellate pit.[6]:648
Aberrant basal-cell carcinoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by the formation of basal-cell carcinoma in the absence of any apparent carcinogenic factor, occurring in odd sites such as the scrotum, vulva, perineum, nipple, and axilla.[6]:648
My point and belief is that the Curaderm marketers distort the truth, exaggerate Curaderms effectiveness and charge people $120 to $150 for a little bottle of chemicals that can not cost more than $10 a bottle to make ( including the packaging)
I am a very dissatisfied Curaderm customer who fell for their fuzzy misinformation marketing and know for certain there are more effective, less expensive products options available.
Nevertheless for those lucky ones that only have very small or superficial skin lesions it appears it has worked for some like yourself.
i appreciate this forum so much. I posted a few weeks ago about my curaderm experience appearing to have worked - i have a dimple in my nose that is red but totally healed over, and fingers crossed. BUT now it seems another one has appeared on the OTHER side of my nose (higher up than the other though) :((( i just read someone else complaining that curaderm seems to cause MORE BCC's - does anyone think there is any truth to this?? Yikes! I would like to try the garlic oil method for this next one - could some please point me to the post that gives a simple step by step to their success story on this method?
mandyyy, I would listen to anivoc and take it to heart. Yes, Curaderm does cause other spots to appear. If you treat them as they appear, new spots will appear from those. On and on it goes, until your immune system wears down and the newer ones no longer heal. Lesions will appear to close much more slowly and finally seem to be closing, but then stop and remain at a certain point for four months.
The first time I used Curaderm the lesions closed in a month, some in a month and a half, with some closing in two months, and a slower one in two and a half months. Scarring was left, and the red never did go away.
Now at a second round, they are not beginning to close until four months later, and that is still not closing, but shrinking with a crater still open, scabbed and not smooth like the first time.
I recommend going to a dermatologist. Curaderm is vastly overpriced, and is far from an 'elegant' treatment. A picture of a woman with a sizable lesion on her face showed three red bumps appearing in an arc over the large lesion. I can only wonder what she did to treat those. I also wonder about the scar she must have had but did not show in the picture. A lesion on my arm, smaller than the one on her face left a long thing scar that looked like surgery, The other spots left red spots that are still there. Worst of all is the many new spots that appeared near and far from the healed spot.
The second time I used Curaderm, three months later, I used it on one spot, and five spots appeared a good distance from the original one. Then dozens of bumps appeared, which I did not put Curaderm on. I used unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. Not much of a cure, but did seem to hold them at bay, and no crater, no scarring, Some of them did seem to go away.
I now need to see a dermatologist. Curaderm may heal a spot, but it will cause numerous others to appear, and so on and so one. I do not know how anyone who does not work for Curaderm has had success with Curaderm.
There must be some people with success using Curaderm or it wouldn't sell. I do not suggest risking your health by relying on Curaderm.
Thank you evoc and anivoc. I am heading back to my skin Dr, and not going to repeat a curaderm treatment on this 'new' lesion. Alarm bells are ringing with these similar stories of it causing new sores to appear :( i uploaded a pic of my bcc during treatment. it's now all healed and closed over - i just hope that it is healed (time will tell i suppose). But that's it for me with this cream. Thanks again.
quote:Originally posted by evoc
mandyyy, I would listen to anivoc and take it to heart. Yes, Curaderm does cause other spots to appear. If you treat them as they appear, new spots will appear from those. On and on it goes, until your immune system wears down and the newer ones no longer heal. Lesions will appear to close much more slowly and finally seem to be closing, but then stop and remain at a certain point for four months.
The first time I used Curaderm the lesions closed in a month, some in a month and a half, with some closing in two months, and a slower one in two and a half months. Scarring was left, and the red never did go away.
Now at a second round, they are not beginning to close until four months later, and that is still not closing, but shrinking with a crater still open, scabbed and not smooth like the first time.
I recommend going to a dermatologist. Curaderm is vastly overpriced, and is far from an 'elegant' treatment. A picture of a woman with a sizable lesion on her face showed three red bumps appearing in an arc over the large lesion. I can only wonder what she did to treat those. I also wonder about the scar she must have had but did not show in the picture. A lesion on my arm, smaller than the one on her face left a long thing scar that looked like surgery, The other spots left red spots that are still there. Worst of all is the many new spots that appeared near and far from the healed spot.
The second time I used Curaderm, three months later, I used it on one spot, and five spots appeared a good distance from the original one. Then dozens of bumps appeared, which I did not put Curaderm on. I used unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. Not much of a cure, but did seem to hold them at bay, and no crater, no scarring, Some of them did seem to go away.
I now need to see a dermatologist. Curaderm may heal a spot, but it will cause numerous others to appear, and so on and so one. I do not know how anyone who does not work for Curaderm has had success with Curaderm.
There must be some people with success using Curaderm or it wouldn't sell. I do not suggest risking your health by relying on Curaderm.
I wanted to let people no that i was using Curaderm, and i found a better cream and its a lot cheaper called Eggplant Renew. It works a lot better than Curaderm and it has 20% more active ingredients. I bought it on Amazon.com . I am sending a video link on the Eggplant Renew bellow. Amazon.com Eggplant Renew http://youtu.be/Uc8SoMFab3Y
Disclaimer: The three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. While melanoma is the most dangerous type, keep in mind that any cancer and potentially some cancer treatments can cause injury or death. The various views expressed in these public forums should not be considered as medical advice. See your qualified health-care professional for medical attention, advice, diagnosis, and treatments.
Curaderm
Posted - 10/14/2013 : 12:04:02
