Aldara and Redness: What Users Say

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2020

For Basal Cell Carcinoma "Just finished week 6 of Aldara for BCC... now waiting for the scabs and redness to go away. 6 weeks was a long treatment, but well worth it instead of MOHS surgery. You MUST wash hands before and after applying, and you MUST wash the application areas after 8 hours. I applied the cream on the tip of my nose, but the entire nose reacted! I applied the cream Monday to Friday and took Saturday and Sunday off. Weeks 3 and 4 were the worst... lots of oozing and dark scabs. You can use makeup... start with a color corrector, then a concealer and/or foundation. I'm now waiting for the scabs and redness to go away. There are no instructions on what to do after the 6 weeks, so I'm still washing the area and putting moisturizer on it twice a day."

• Itw...
• April 7, 2020

For Human Papilloma Virus "I used Aldara for around 10 weeks. I had anal warts at the time and one on my gooch. Aldara made my ass really red and raw, and the warts didn't seem to go away or change in appearance. What I did notice, though, was that the warts went away over the next 3 months without using anything as I was traveling and didn't have any supply. Aldara is used to help boost the immune system in targeting the HPV virus (which, by the way, is NOT permanent). There is so much old information out there, and those of you who are just beginning your journey know that it is temporary (I know it sucks, and there are so many emotions, BUT you will come out the other side!). My dermatologist told me this firsthand, and people who are healthy will naturally clear this virus. It incubated for around 6 months, and then symptoms appeared. Those with immune deficiencies will struggle to clear it, unfortunately. Cryotherapy takes the wart off, and Aldara boosts the immune system to fight infection."

• inc...
• August 20, 2017

For Basal Cell Carcinoma "Second time on Aldara. The first time I used it on my right temple, nose, and my face. I was covered in red blotches, like scalds, but I don't remember any severe reactions. I can't seem to remember it hurting, and it was worth it. It cleared the persistent and sore BCC on my nose and temple. I now have another BCC on my forehead which has been persistent and shown no sign of healing and has bled at times. My GP/doctor has prescribed a course of Aldara, and this time I have a much worse reaction. One side of my face has come with very red, swollen spots, blistering, and I have flu-like symptoms. But I am sure it will be worth it."

• Pop...
• January 2, 2020

For Human Papilloma Virus "I had a GW 12 days ago, at first, it's small, flat, white warts. So, my OB prescribed me Aldara 3-5 times a day for 10 days and some antibiotics 2 times a day for 10 days. On the 4th day of my application, I felt burning and redness down there until 2 small blisters showed up between the small warts. I also felt side effects similar to the other experience, a fever-like feeling. On the 8th day, the small white wart vanished, but the 2 small blisters still remain. I’m totally freaking out. On the 9th day, 1 blister got bigger and turned out to be white, as well as the other small blister. On the 10th day, when I visited my doctor, she told me to stop the cream and prescribed me multivitamins. She told me to get surgery or burn the warts when I decide. On the 11th day, I stopped using Aldara, but the two white blisters are still there. And still, my V is swollen. I don't know what to do anymore. Will this white blister still go away because I stopped using Aldara already? Any same case as mine? Need help."

• Gen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2019

For Human Papilloma Virus "I had genital warts. I decided to try Aldara and hope for the best. After reading loads of reviews about crazy side effects, I was a bit worried, but my experience has been great. It says to use each sachet only once, but I get at least 3/4 uses out of each. I’ve had no burning and minimal scabbing of the skin, only a slight bit of redness around the affected area. After 2 weeks, the warts began to shrink rapidly and disappeared in the 3rd week! Just ensure you follow the instructions and complete the course (~16 weeks), as I’ve noticed a lot of people have stopped using it once the warts disappear, and then they come back straight away. It cost me £70 for the whole course."

• AAS...
• January 30, 2018

For Basal Cell Carcinoma "Easy to apply. The medication journal makes it easy to track usage and clearly defines “break days.” This is week four. Skin is red and irritated, however very bearable and annoying rather than painful. Other side effects are pretty hard to tolerate. Fatigue is beyond belief and at times debilitating, yet unable to sleep. Nausea all the time. Headache at times. Perception seems to be a little distorted. Difficult to tell how much the light-headed feeling is coming from fatigue. Joints ache. A little weight gain. I’m irritable due to unbearable fatigue. Dreams at night are emotionally overwhelming and vivid. The effect of alcohol is extremely magnified. I call these my little bottles of hell. That’s how they make me feel. That said, it seems to be working, and I’m very interested in seeing the results. Given a choice at this stage, excision would be my preference. That might change by the time I finish treatment. However, it would take a lot to endure this again."

• Gir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 28, 2018

For Human Papilloma Virus "Aldara works wonders. I used it as prescribed, and within 2 weeks, most of the really large lesions were gone! The only downside to Aldara is the side effects. The itching, swelling, and redness around the affected area were almost unbearable! I’m on my 5th week of treatment, and honestly, I can’t wait for this to be over."

• ale...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2020

For Human Papilloma Virus "Two small and flat warts appeared on my penis eight months ago, and the doctor prescribed Aldara. It caused redness, fatigue, and time-to-time fever. But I continued using it as the warts were so annoying and made me feel miserable. After three months, the warts disappeared but left a small scar. After a month, the warts appeared again, and as a last resort, I started to use Aldara again. This time, the warts disappeared after two months, but the scars became a bit worse. Just hoping that it was the last time I used Aldara. Wishing you all HPV-free days..."

• Sea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2020

For Human Papilloma Virus "Was prescribed Aldara to treat two genital warts. One large and one small. I had read a few reviews and was a little worried about using it, would be worth the pain. Just over three weeks in, and the smaller one is completely gone and the skin is almost healed apart from a little redness, the other has almost disappeared. No real noticeable side effects. Felt a little run down one or two days, but it is December. I was quite aware of the area in that there was some slight discomfort and the occasional itch, but nothing close to pain. The skin itself did get quite red, and there was some dry skin. But nothing major. If it helps, I was very careful not to spread the cream onto any particularly sensitive areas. Was very careful about washing both before and after and have been taking a good multivitamin. Overall, I'd say a very positive experience."

• Ken...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2025

For Human Papilloma Virus "I have genital warts at the penile corona area. I use Aldara 3 times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri). There is no significant improvement during the first week, except some redness and a burning feeling on the surrounding skin area. During this period, I'm taking honeysuckle chrysanthemum tea (powdered form) for detoxification and to build up my immunity. On the 12th day, I took the nail clipper and cut off the tip of the genital wart because I was getting impatient. It wasn't the first time I had cut it with a nail clipper, but this time there's blood dripping out. I applied Aldara on the wart as well as on the next day. To my astonishment, 2-3 days later, the wart had shrunk significantly. Some parts seemed to come off when I rubbed and cleaned it during the shower with soap. And by the 20th day, the wart is gone and not visible anymore! Throughout the entire 20 days, I've only used one sachet of Aldara (out of 5 I've bought) for the small wart. I will stop soon or until the first sachet is finished."

• Unl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 16, 2021

For Human Papilloma Virus "I thought I would share my experience with this cream. Used for 4 weeks. First 2 weeks, I had heavy discharge and felt a bit uncomfortable. The third week, the redness, headaches, sore throat, and night sweats started. By the end of the 4th week, my vagina was unrecognizable. I had open sores, which had to be swabbed for herpes (negative), so I had to stop using it. I don't think I could continue any longer anyway. I do admit I was using too much by the 4th week as it wasn't working at all, and I was becoming desperate. So stupidly, the bad reaction was my fault. But no cream that has this effect should be put near that area."

• Ken...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2015

For Human Papilloma Virus "Small warts on penis - gone within a week. Side effects: redness, slightly itchy, slightly tighter foreskin. Try allergy medicines to ease itching."