Creams

Efudix cream – a chemotherapy cream that can be broadly applied to the skin, particularly the face, for a controlled period, to effectively treat sunspots. It also has some effectiveness against less serious skin cancers.

Aldara cream – officially approved in Australia for use in the treatment of sunspots and basal cell carcinomas in 2004. The active agent stimulates the immune system to fight the cancers, and was initially used in the treatment of genital warts. Success rates vary between 60% and 82%. There are only very specific cancers that are adequately treated by this cream.

Photodynamic therapy and Metvix cream – approved for use in the treatment of sunspots and Basal Cell Carcinomas in 2004. The cream is applied for 3hours and then red light of a specific wavelength is shone onto the treatment area for almost 10minutes. Success rates vary between 60% and 90%. At present, this treatment is very expensive ($800) but the cosmetic results can be very good.