I Tried Photo Dynamic Therapy - Here’s What Happened
From the Grown-n-Sexy Files
I’ve had the joy of documenting my basal cell carcinoma journey on this platform and wanted to close the loop by sharing my experience with a preventative treatment called Photodynamic Therapy aka PDT. This post is getting filed under the — grown-n-sexy files. Heavy on the grown. Stayed tuned - the photos are spicy!
POST MOHS VIBES
I was receiving my MOHS aftercare instructions when I said something to my Dermatologist about “being happy it was over.” My derm said, “Of course. This was your first MOHS surgery.” The word “first” slapped me around little. “Is this likely to occur again?” I asked. My derm squinched up her face and nodded, “Once you’ve had basal cell, the likelihood increases — quite a bit.”
The good news is - not in the same spot! It’s actually very unlikely that the cancer will come back in the area that was treated. The half inch above my lip was sorted — but what about the rest? She suggested applying 50+ SPF everyday (duh - morning and afternoon), wearing hats and investing in some UPF clothing.
That was perfectly fine and reasonable advice but I was looking for something more — dynamic. She mentioned IPL - Intense pulsed light therapy, commonly know as a photofacial and PDT - Photodyamic therapy. IPL is generally a cosmetic procedure that helps reduce signs of sun damage and improves texture. Recent studies have shown that it can be helpful in preventing skin cancers from forming.
PDT, on the other hand, is a treatment specifically targeting pre-cancer and cancerous cells. You may get some beautification from it but that’s more of a bonus side effect. It’s also, at least in my case, mostly covered by insurance!
The typical PDT patient is a 70-yr-old golfer. Someone who’s clocked hundreds of hours in the sun, passed on sunblock and is riddled with crusty pre-cancerous, actinic keratosis.
My dermatologist suggested doing a total of 6 PDT treatments 3 on the face and 3 on the chest over the course of a year. After that, they’d like you to do both the face and chest once a year. She warned me that I could look crazy for a week or so. Crazy for a week vs. having my face cut again - it was a no-brainer! I signed up for my first PDT treatment before I left the office.
THE PDT EXPERIENCE
My first PDT treatment was relatively unremarkable. My skin was red and blotchy - sure - but within reason. My second PDT was a few weeks ago and honeyyyyyyy that was a different bag of beans!
PDT STEPS FOR THE FACE
They wipe your face down with straight acetone. It’s very strong and unpleasant.
They rub a medication all over your face called Levulan. The Levulan doesn’t activate until it interacts with blue light.
They leave you in a room with the Levulan on your face for one hour.
Next, they cover your eyes and you sit under the blue light machine for sixteen minutes and forty seconds (guess that’s science or something) and hand you a fan to cool yourself down during the treatment. Some people feel an intense sunburn type sensation - for me it was just warm and a little prickly. NBD.
My face was a little red and blotchy immediately after the treatment but nothing to write home about.
If you do go down this road you MUST stay indoors for 48 hours indoors after the treatment. No sun.
Here’s how the next 10 days went —
Day 1
Holy shitballs. I woke up and my face was on fire - felt like a hybrid of a bad sunburn and an actual burn. Again, this was my second time doing this treatment. This was NOT my experience the first time around. The cortisone cream they gave me wasn’t doing shit. It had been decades since I had a real sunburn. This is what immersion therapy must be like. Mentally, I was upstate NY at Bash Bish Falls camping with my family. I’d been out on the lake for the day, forgot to apply sunblock and was burnt to a crisp. The office said I could try a stronger cortisone cream but other than that I just had to ride it out.
Day 2
Looking crazy as hail but feeling just fine!
Day 3
Settling into my new normal! I went to give Wing a kiss and he stepped back — said he didn’t want to “crowd it.”
Day 4
My face felt tight and was starting to itch. Wing was back at work and I had a few errands to run. Popped into the Post Office on my morning walk with Otto. A very sweet gal asked me if Otto was a “service dog” — tough but fair.
Day 5
Was back out running errands and getting glances. I felt steeped in gratitude for my beautiful face. It’s a blessing to have a face that doesn’t pull questions and stares. I felt great empathy for people who have to move through the world getting stared at.
Day 6
We’re molting baby!
Day 7, 8, 9 + 10
PRO TIP - great time to deep clean all your makeup brushes!
A few days ago I went back to the Derm for my 6-month full body skin scan. She walked into the exam room and was THRILLED with my PDT results. She said and I quote, “You have no pores! This is one of the best results I’ve seen. We don’t need to do this treatment again till next year!”
I’m so, so grateful that this treatment exists. I really feel like I’m being proactive in the fight against skin cancer. Hope you enjoyed this ride!
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That looks like a JOURNEY. But they may have downplayed the beauty benefits cause you are glowing in that last pic! Do you need to do another round?
wow what a wild ride! bravo on the ending!!
ps lol at service dog detail