User Reviews for Picato topical

I had used Efudex 2x and begged my dermatologist to freeze the new spots on my face because I hated the two-week process. She wouldn't freeze but told me about Picato. She warned me it wd be expensive, but my pharmacist was able to find an online coupon and it only cost $25 for three tubes. I had 3 small spots and used the same tube for all three, not having read to use a new tube each time. This seemed to work fine. My spots did scab and blister and ooze, but having it over in less time appealed to me. I definitely feel like this is a drug for SELECT spots, if you have some. I wouldn't use it for my entire face or even entire forehead. But the speed is great!Read More Read Less

Picato is in small tubes for a reason... you hardly need any at all to get the desired reaction. People who are blistering badly likely over applied this clear liquid. CAUTION - use sparingly. The benefit is that you achieve the same result in two days that Effudex or Carac takes two weeks to achieve. I have not found the results to last any longer than the others...... I have used on both my face, arms, and chest.

I have read a lot of reviews and taken the treatment (day 3), if you are deciding on whether to do this procedure just know the more your skin reacts the more likely you really needed to do this. This is my second time and I had used Efudex before, this picato is a lot quicker. There is no doubt its painful and scary but I was okay and hope it was worth knocking out the bad cells before they become something much worse. Tell your spouse, friends, you will be grumpy and hard to understand at times because the constant pain makes it hard to focus. Also at the start it might not seem like its working or you might wonder if its spread too thin, but you will know in about 4-6 hours as it starts out slow and tingles at first. Good luck Read More Read Less

I was prescribed Picato (ingenol mebutate) gel by my dermatologist. It created a burning sensation on the first night that was pretty intense. It woke me up at around 3am and sleeping was difficult. After the second treatment, the pain was less (probably because my skin had started to die off. However, after the second treatment, I broke out in pustules all over the medicated areas (blisters filled with puss). It was pretty gnarly. I called my family doc, as my dermatologist doesn't have an after hours contact info and he advised that I not take the 3rd dose and allow my skin to heal over the next few weeks before trying something else. He recommended 5 FU cream. Currently, 2 days after 2nd dose, I have peeling like a bad sun burn. I won't know for a couple weeks if it was effective at removing the actinic keratosis or not.Read More Read Less

I used 2 tubes of the medication on my cheek. I developed blister looking patch and went back to my doctor who said I had developed a staff infection while using the medication. He advised not using the other tube and now I have to take antibiotecs for two weeks and use a topical creme to clear up the staff. not sure what the outcome will look like after the treatment. My doc says I should not use this medication and go back to freezing the sun spots.

I used Picato on my chest and tops of my hands. It has been3 days since I used the medicine. The tops of my hands are really red and look horrible. My chest has red patches, is very sore, peeling and is itching terribly which I assume is from the peeling and irritation. This is the second time I used this on my chest and it seems to have worked better (if that's what you want to call it). I will be very glad when this heels. A hint to get the most out of the small tube, I cut the tube open to get every last drop.Read More Read Less

I'm a 50-year old male with an extremely high tolerance for pain (let a broken collarbone "heal" on its own untreated because I was traveling) and I have never, ever felt excruciating pain like I did using Picato on my face. It literally felt like someone rubbed battery acid on my face then pounded it with a hammer. Couldn't sleep at all for a week and ended up coating my face daily with burn cream. I don't care what percentage success rate it has, I will never ever use this again and warn others of it as well. I'll take freezing or cutting any day. I'll even go back to using Effudex before I ever touch this acidic gel again.Read More Read Less

My Dermatologist prescribed this drug to treat my forearms. I have many spots of AK over most of my forearms on both arms. The most surprising thing I encountered was the incredibly small size of the tubes. When I picked up the tubes from the pharmacy, since I had a lot of area to cover, I checked the tube size. As soon as a saw how tiny they were (I've swallowed larger pills!), I tried to order a refill. Blue Cross Blue Shield would not pay for the refill for another 90 days. I asked for the cost and it was over $700. So, my plan was to cover as much as I could with one tube, and then treat the same area the next day. I did not notice the application size area was to only be 2 square inches since it is nowhere on the packaging. My Dr. obviously did not know this either since I mentioned my concern with the coverage for the amount prescribed. This was even before I saw the tiny tubes. When I applied the gel, as small as the tubes were, they were only about 25 percent full. Squeezing the tube as flat as I could, I could only get about three dots of the gel from each tube about the size of a BB. I covered from my hand to about two thirds up my arm with a very thin coating. The next day, the same. I did experience some reaction but not as much as I should have, obviously due to spreading this over too large of an area. Bottom line for my experience, little results due to improper coverage area. If I'm going to continue this treatment, it will take a do over with somewhere in the area of 40 tubes needed. I'm sure when I talk with the doc again, the treatment options will change. I'm sure insurance won't pay for all of that, plus, the $25 deal ends after six fillings of the prescription.Read More Read Less

This medication is MUCH too expensive--$700 for one application--especially considering it does not work as other methods for treating AK. The pharmaceutical reps sell it to doctors by telling the docs a coupon for $250 makes it only $25 with insurance--which is not true. My pharmacist told me they have never seen it cost less than $150. This medication cost me $354 and did not work effectively. SO tired of being scammed by Big Pharma and lazy doctors.

Putting a drop of this on several small red patches on hands/arms caused, after a day or so, to look exactly as if the doctor froze it. There was a blister. The next days redness around that area increased. Things flattened out and scabs formed. What was normal skin around the area peeled like a healing sun burn. Still some redness and flakes so I can't say yet if it 'cured' the problem. The reaction in a day or so is like the most aggressive spots at the end of several weeks of Carac. I'm trying Picato because of a few spots on hand and arm that did not clear with Carac. There was no pain except where skin flexed a lot. Do not pull on dead skin/scabs even if it seems like it will just come off like a band-aide, the depth of damage varies. Sorry I can't give a final,final opinion but wanted folks to know what to expect. Seems aggressive, I'm all for that. Read More Read Less

I am an Esthetician with a history of Basal cell, Squamous cell and Actinic Keratosis. I filled my RX for Picato Topical and was caught off guard by the $750.00 price of two tiny tubes. I applied the topical gel as directed to my forehead and nose. About 2 hours after application, my skin started stinging and pinking up, by the 3 hour point, I felt like I had a sunburn, skin red and tight. I woke up the next morning with swollen eyes, and the sensation of a sunburn, I had to be very careful while washing my skin, and was in need of hydration. By the way..... no way was I going to treat my skin with the second tube that night. I woke up the next morning with over 200 blisters on my forehead and nose. It took about 10 days for my skin to recoverRead More Read Less