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More about Solar Keratosis
2006-05-02
Dear Dr. Proskiw:
I have developed several small growths on my face. Although they are small I want them removed. Are these types of growths common and what kind of procedures will remove them?
Answer: Anyone who spends time in the sun runs a high risk of developing actinic keratosis which is also referred to as solar keratosis. These types of growths take the appearance of small crusty, scaly or crumbly bumps on the skins surface. The color of the bumps may vary between dark or light and tan to dark but they are usually dry and rough in texture and are often first recognized by touch rather than sight. The growths develop slowly and are most likely to appear on the parts of your body that are often exposed to sunshine such as the face, lips, ears, neck, backs of hands, shoulders and back. These lesions also may burn, itch or sting.
Another similar condition is called seborrheic keratosis. While these growths can also develop on the face, scalp or neck they are most commonly seen on the chest or back. They often appear to be “pasted” onto the skin. Their texture differs from the scaly appearance of actinic keratosis, often having a felt like feel and sometimes resembling a brown felt pad. The major difference between the two conditions is that aktinic keratosis is a precancerous skin condition where the seborrheic keratosis is a benign growth except in rare cases when a sudden growth of many seborrheic keratoses may be related to cancer elsewhere in the body.
Question: Will actinic keratosis progress to cancer?
Answer: If you have Actinic Keratosis, you may have an increased risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer). There is no way of determining whether actinic keratosis will eventually develop into squamous cell carcinoma or how fast this might occur. It is a widely held belief that keratoses on the ear or lip have the highest risk of developing into cancer. It is very important to remember that Actinic Keratosis is skin cancer’s warning signal and should not be ignored.
Question: Does removal of the growths help to prevent the development of skin cancer?
Answer: Yes. Early treatment of actinic keratosis is recommended to stop the possible progression of skin cancer (sqaumous cell carcinoma). Left untreated, about two to five percent may progress to squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer.
Question: What kinds of treatments are available?
Answer: Traditional treatments employed to remove both actinic and seborrheic keratoses are liquid nitrogen and curettage, topical medications and chemical peeling. More recent technologies employ laser surgery or Photodynamic Therapy in conjunction with the Intense Pulse Light Laser. This last option selectively destroys actinic and seborrheic keratoses while causing little damage to the surrounding normal skin with less scarring than other procedures.
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