Aldara Dosage/Direction for Use

Children and adolescents: Use in children and adolescents is not recommended.
Adults: Advise patient to wash hands carefully before and after applying the cream. Do not cover the treated area with bandages or other dressings after applying Aldara cream.
Dispose of any cream left in the sachet after use. Do not save the opened sachet for use at a later date.
The treatment frequency and duration differ for genital warts, basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis (see specific instructions for each indication).
Treatment for genital warts: Application Instructions - (Mon, Wed and Fri): 1. Before bedtime, wash hands and the treatment area with mild soap and water. Dry thoroughly.
2. Open a new sachet and squeeze some cream onto the fingertip.
3. Apply a thin layer of Aldara cream onto clean, dry wart area and rub gently into the skin until cream vanishes.
4. After application of the cream, throw away the opened sachet and wash hands with soap and water.
5. Leave Aldara cream on the warts for 6 to 10 hours. Do not shower or bathe during this time.
6. After 6 to 10 hours wash the area where Aldara cream was applied with mild soap and water.
Apply Aldara cream 3 times per week. For example, apply the cream on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. One sachet contains enough cream to cover a wart area of 20 cm² (approx. 3 square inches).
Men with warts under the foreskin should pull the foreskin back each day and wash underneath it (see Precautions).
Continue to use Aldara cream as instructed until the warts have completely gone (half the females who clear will do so in 8 weeks, half the males who clear will do so in 12 weeks but in some patients warts may clear as early as 4 weeks).
Do not use Aldara cream for more than 16 weeks in the treatment of each episode of warts.
Treatment for basal cell carcinoma: Application Instructions - (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri): 1. Before bedtime, wash hands and the treatment area with mild soap and water. Dry thoroughly.
2. Open a new sachet and squeeze some cream onto the fingertip.
3. Apply Aldara cream to the affected area and 1 cm (approx. 0.5 inch) around the affected area. Rub gently into the skin until the cream vanishes.
4. After application of the cream, throw away the opened sachet. Wash hands with soap and water.
5. Leave Aldara cream on the skin for about 8 hours. Do not shower or bathe during this time.
6. After about 8 hours, wash the area where Aldara cream was applied with mild soap and water.
Apply sufficient Aldara cream to cover the treatment area and 1 cm (about ½ an inch) around the treatment area each day for 5 consecutive days each week for 6 weeks. For example, apply the cream from Monday to Friday. Do not apply the cream on Saturday and Sunday.
Treatment for actinic keratosis: Application Instructions - (Mon, Wed and Fri): 1. Before bedtime, wash hands and the treatment area with mild soap and water. Dry thoroughly.
2. Open a new sachet and squeeze some cream onto the fingertip.
3. Apply the cream to the affected area. Rub gently into the area until the cream vanishes.
4. After application of the cream, throw away the opened sachet. Wash hands with soap and water.
5. Leave Aldara cream on the skin for about 8 hours. Do not shower or bathe during this time.
6. After about 8 hours, wash the area where Aldara cream was applied with mild soap and water.
Apply Aldara cream 3 times per week. For example, apply the cream on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. One sachet contains enough cream to cover an area of 25 cm² (approx. 4 square inches).
Continue treatment for four weeks. Four weeks after finishing this first treatment, assess the skin. If the lesions have not all disappeared, further four weeks of treatment may be necessary.
Missed dose: Advise patient to apply cream as soon as remembered and then continue in the regular schedule. Do not apply the cream more than once per day.