fluorouracil Ointment Reduces Wrinkles in Skin Cancer Patients

Boston (HealthKnowItAll) - A drug used to prevent a type of skin cancer has also been found to be helpful when it comes to reducing wrinkles.

Currently reducing wrinkles usually means a trip to the doctor for botox, a procedure which is very expensive indeed.

Introducing fluorouracil ointment, used to prevent a type of skin cancer called actinic keratoses.

This cream has been found to reduce wrinkles, and may be the next big thing when it comes to an alternative and cheaper form to looking younger.

Fluorouracil, in its injectable form is approved to treat an array of cancers, ranging from head and neck, to cancer of the pancreas.

The new study featured up to 21 participants, all of whom had been diagnosed with actinic keratoses.

They were asked to apply the cancer cream to their skin, 2 times a day for a 2 week period.

After 2 weeks, the number of actinic keratoses on the skin of patients dropped tremendously, from an average of 11, to just 1.

The cream did initially have some symptoms, including itching and mild irritation, but this went away over time.

This is a remarkable finding and may lead to the creation of a new treatment for removing wrinkles that can be performed in the home.

“The mechanism of topical fluorouracil in photo-aged skin follows a predictable wound healing pattern of events reminiscent of that seen with laser treatment of photo-ageing,” wrote the researchers.

The researchers, from the United States, published their study findings in the journal Archives of Dermatology.