Aldara Cream

What is Aldara?

Aldara is a prescription-only cream containing 5% imiquimod as its active ingredient. It’s normally used for the treatment and removal of the visible symptoms of external genital warts. Other uses include the removal of precancerous growth on the skin.

Aldara is effective at treating genital warts, but it’s important to follow the instructions and use it correctly. You’ll need to make sure you don’t get any on the skin around the warts or on healthy areas of the skin because it can cause irritation.

How does Aldara work?

The active ingredient in Aldara is called Imiquimod. It’s been in use since 1997 as an effective treatment for genital warts. Studies show that Imiquimod stimulates your immune responses^[1].This ultimately helps your body’s immune cells to track diseased cells; which in this case, are the cells linked to genital warts. Once the affected cells are dead, new cells grow in their place to clear the skin.

Aldara is easy to use as it’s not a medication you have to swallow. Because it’s a topical cream, you only need to apply it to the external part of the body where warts or precancerous growths are visible.

What doses of Aldara are there?

It’s a single dose treatment that equates to a one-week course. You have to apply the cream three times a week. So usually every other day, for example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The cream sachet contains a sufficient amount to cover the wart-infected area, to as wide as twenty centimetres squared.

How to use Aldara

If you’re using Aldara for the treatment of genital warts, here’s how to apply it effectively.

• Apply the cream three times a week only (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) or as advised by our clinician.
• Preferably, apply it at night time before bed.
• Wash and dry both hands and the infected area with mild soap and water.
• Open a sachet and squeeze some Aldara cream onto your fingertip.
• Apply a thin layer of the cream onto the cleaned and dried wart area.
• Rub gently until the cream vanishes into the skin.
• After applying the cream, wash your hands with soap and water.
• Try not to touch the area where the cream is applied for six to ten hours.
• Do not shower during this time.
• Wash the area where the cream was applied with mild soap and water after 6 to 10 hours.
• Repeat the above steps for two more days in a week.
• If you have warts underneath the foreskin of your penis, pull the foreskin back and wash. underneath it before applying Aldara.
• Continue using the Aldara cream as instructed by our clinician until the warts have completely gone.

How long does it take Aldara to work?

The effectiveness of Aldara can vary, depending on the severity of your genital warts. You might have to repeat the one-week course treatment for multiple weeks if your warts don’t disappear within the first week of use. For many women, genital warts clear faster and will do so in eight weeks.

But men might have to wait for 12 weeks before the warts clear. Warts can clear up for some people in as little as four weeks too, though. You shouldn’t use Aldara continuously for over 16 weeks.

If you notice the treatment isn’t showing visible results after a few weeks, it’s best to contact our clinician. Aldara can be a bit strong in concentration for some people. If you find that this is the case, you should sign in to your account and send our clinician a message.

What should I do if I make a mistake when using Aldara?

Some common mistakes that people make with Aldara cream include: excess application; forgetting to take a dose; ingesting the cream; or applying it to the wrong part of the body. If you experience any of these, the following instructions will help.

• If you’ve applied too much, wash the site containing the excess cream with mild soap and water. If you experience any discomfort because of the excess application, wait until the symptoms subside after washing and continue to use Aldara as advised by our clinician.
• If you forget to take a dose, simply apply it again as soon as you remember, and continue with the schedule advised by our clinician. If you miss a dose, don’t take twice the amount or use it twice a day. Stick to applying Aldara only once a day.
• If you swallow Aldara cream by mistake, you should seek emergency medical assistance immediately.
• If you apply Aldara cream to the wrong area (so inside the vagina or anus, for example) you should wash it quickly with plenty of water and contact our clinician if you experience irritation or discomfort.