What is actinic keratosis?

This precancerous condition is thought to be carcinoma “in situ". This simply means it has not become invasive. It is quite slow growing but eventually can lead to squamous skin cancer.

I myself had three patches of actinic keratosis on my face for years and didn’t know what it was.

Two of them, I couldn’t see at all. I could just feel the rough, scaly skin.

On the third one there was a very slight brown/red color apparent and it was also rough and scaly.

For a long time I didn’t think much of them at all because I had things like this occur before on my skin, and then disappear in time.

I finally went to a skin cancer screening and was told they were actinic keratoses and I was referred to another dermatologist.

Through a little research I found out that this condition was harmless, however it could lead to Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Having had squamous cell cancer twenty years ago, I definitely went to the dermatologist.

The treatment I was given consisted of simply spraying it with liquid nitrogen to freeze the spots for a few seconds. There was a slight burning or stinging afterward and that went away in a very short time. On the same day and continuing to the next day they turned gradually a little red in color. Then they scabbed over and in several more days it all dropped off.

It was gone and my skin was back to normal, smooth and no discoloration.

So if you ever experience the actinic keratosis symptoms of rough scaly patches of skin… just go see your dermatologist. It can be treated easily and in this precancerous stage is the time to do it.

Once these rough patches of skin are gone promise yourself you’re never going to allow your skin to be damaged by UV rays again.

Sun damaged skin, at best, will only bring early wrinkles and premature aging of your skin. Check out these wrinkle free skin care tips.

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If your actinic keratoses covers a large area or is spotty over a large area, your dermatologist may prescribe a Fluorouracil Skin Cancer Cream, that you can apply at home.

Who is most susceptible to actinic keratoses?

It does take years to develop and usually occurs in older people. It occurs more with men than women. The greatest risk is for those who have spent many years with lots of sun exposure. It usually occurs on the head, neck, forearms and hands.

The prevalence among white people increases with age. At least sixty percent of predisposed people over the age of forty have at least one actinic keratosis.

Just remember that most of these actinic keratoses do have the potential to progress to squamous cell carcinoma… but on the other hand many Do Not.

About twenty-six percent regress on their own and up to sixty percent do progress to the second most common skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma.

If you think you may have this precancerous lesion, go see a dermatologist.

The treatment I was given for the actinic keratosis was with liquid nitrogen and it worked real well for me. It is called Cryosurgery.

Other treatments are:

• Curettage …a surgical scraping away of abnormal tissue

• Photodynamic Therapy …involves use of a photosensitizing agent followed by exposure to a specific wavelength of light

• Topical Therapies …there are several Topical Therapies available

Your dermatologist can decide the proper treatment for you.

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