Day 38 - Few weeks after stopping - post day 18

Everything is back to normal except the new skin areas are slightly pink, especially when I shave, or shower or if I exercise.
Lumps around my chin have all disappeared. It all feels smooth and keratose free so far.

Remember to keep using sun screen! I have the most daggy fishing/cricket dad hat that I keep in my backpack along with a tube of sun screen.


Here's me today at breakfast on a cloudy day.

Day 31 - Post Day 11

On waking up I look practically normal, then once I wash or start moving my face gets a little pink.
Nothing much seems to be changing now, just a pink glow every now and then and some flaking here and there.  Where there were pimples around my chin/beard area there are now flat lumps, which I think are starting to reduce.

Here's the last photo for a while.

Will check back in when something significant changes, but hopefully that's it!

Day 30 - Post day 10

Still flaky, still pink.

I think I'll wind up the posting in a few days until something changes. The suggested healing times are quoted from 1 to 2 months. I'm up to 10 days since applying the cream.

Day 29 - Post day 10

Still pink, still flaky. Still have some lumps on the chin I hope will flake off, which I think was either typical reaction in the beard area, or pimples brought on by too much paw paw cream for a week.

Estimates of healing time are 2 -4 weeks after finishing the cream, and 3 months for all the pink areas to fade away.

Here's me before any shave this morning at coffee time.

Day 28 - Post day 9

Just pink marking and some pimples on my chin, and a lot more flaking today.

Very pleased with the result so far. In the morning it looks quite normal, but after a wash and a shave it's still very pink.

Day 27 - Post day 8

Lots of peeling yesterday. Most of everything seems to have come off or is about to.

Looking nearly normal, except my festy chin, and a pink glow.

I'll skip shaving today to let it all calm down.

Day 26 - Post day 7

At last! A major improvement yesterday, suddenly a lot of the in flamed areas are reducing, there's a lot of flaking and I no longer feel hot and itchy. Now it's just minor uncomfortable.
I have developed a chin full of pimples where my chin folds, that's I guess too much paw paw. Didn't even apply anything going to bed last night. It is as if yesterday afternoon the fever broke.

Pictures soon as I work out how to pair my phone with my iPad which seems to not want to Bluetooth airdrop today.

Phew.

Day 25 - Post day 6

Yesterday I noticed some small pimple around my chin which I think is because of the paw paw ointment. I will try to reduce that, unfortunately it's the only thing that doesn't sting and feels so good once it's on.

A lot a skin flaked away yesterday, was like being in a tiny corn flakes storm.
 There's section on the my right side of the chin that used to react whenever I didn't shave for a while ( before the treatment - had been doing this for years) and I think perhaps this may have been some pre cancerous activity, because that section has swollen and got very red during the treatment. If so it might be quite deep, and I expect a lot of peeling in that area. It's also where some of the pimples are at. Will need to think how to deal with these. I don't want any infection in the area.

here's a bad shot of today which shows some improvement I think, but still have crusty and pimply chin area.

Day 24 - Post day 5

I have developed a bad habit of unconsciously scratching my face. Skin is starting to peel off and I can't seem to help myself from fiddling on my forehead. I woke up last night itching and scratching at my chin and forehead, so obviously I'm doing it in my sleep!

I Facetimed my brother and his kids, and grossed the boys out. They kept saying 'stop putting the camera so close to your face.' My sister in law screamed

Yesterday was the most comfortable day since it got bad. I am managing the itchiness with plenty of the paw paw ointment (Brauer brand, the chemist assistant said it didn't have lots of petroleum jelly and was more paw paw than the others). So, I can keep the itch under control using it about 3 times a day. Last night I did get quite itchy though and didn't get much sleep.

Plenty of skin is peeling away now.

Today's shot is after a shower, shave and a gentle rub with a face washer, followed by the paw paw cream. It doesn't look like it's getting better, but I'm sure it is. You can see grey areas where the skin is coming off urrggh. The shininess makes it look worse than it is - that's the paw paw.

Day 23 - Post day 4

Not much to report so far. Things don't feel like they have changed much since stopping the cream, I am still way itchy most of the day and am now slapping a lot of paw paw cream as it seems to decrease the tight-as-a-drum feeling.  I think I can see a reduction in the coverage of the reaction from 'all over' towards 'spots'. I think my forehead is reducing a bit. I've just gone back and looked at Day 18 etc....I am pretty sure it's getting better.

In hindsight I think I would now recommend doing this in a "week on/weeks off " manner  if that was at all possible. I don't really care how gruesome I look and nor do I care what people think (and frankly have not noticed any weird reaction from anyone so far), and if the week on/weeks off method is less painful then I would try that. The downside is it takes a few months to do three or four cycles, vs this month of hell all-at-once way. 

Or maybe just do sections at a time.

Whatever.

Here's me today before any rinsing or ointment, just after morning coffee..

 and then after a shower, shave and paw paw cream application.

Day 22 - Post day 3

Yesterday had some of the itchiest periods. It comes over like a wave, and somehow it goes away. I used a lot of ice pack in front of tv. I think it gets worse after hot food, or food where I have to open my mouth wide. Whatever, it was quite itchy.

After showering and shaving I showed my partner the result and there was a lot of flaky areas waiting to shed.

This morning I tried washing with a small amount of Aveeno body wash which is meant to be soap free or similar, anyway I was very careful not to use it directly, just washed my hands, rinsed once and then washed my face in warm water.
It's getting easier to wash, and shaving is still ok yet touchy. There were some blood spots during the night, but they seem to wash away gently. It doesn't look like much is abating, but it probably feels a tiny bit less ouch.

Here's after today's shave, and tons of paw paw cream. That I think is the only thing that seems to dependably offer any relief. I think the cortisone cream is ineffective so I'm going without it today, just relying on the physical moisturising of the paw paw which feels lightly greasy in a nice gentle way.