What is Actinic Keratosis?

What is Actinic Keratosis?

Also known as a solar keratosis, an actinic keratosis enlarges slowly and usually causes no signs or symptoms other than a patch or small spot on your skin. These patches take years to develop, usually first appearing in people over 40. Actinic keratosis is a rough and often bumpy patch or lesion that forms on the skin. Common locations of actinic keratosis are found on the scalp, back of the hands, the face, nose, ears, back of the forearms, the neck, upper chest and the shoulders.

Symptoms are usually limited to the patch of scaly, crusty skin that forms. In most cases, there are no other signs of symptoms. The size of actinic keratosis varies from tiny to an inch or more in diameter. Similarly, color variations range from light to dark with variations throughout the patches. It may even appear as a cracked and peeling lower lip that is not helped by lip balm or petroleum jelly.

Be aware of these other symptoms:

Rough, dry or scaly patch of skin, usually less than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter
Flat to slightly raised patch or bump on the top layer of skin
In some cases, a hard, wartlike surface
Color as varied as pink, red or brown
Itching or burning in the affected area
Crusty skin patches
Uneven, sandpaper texture

One of the most common and earliest indicators of skin cancer is actinic keratosis, sometimes being called a pre-cancer. Developing actinic keratosis does increases someone's risk of skin cancer. If treated early, almost all actinic keratoses can be cleared up or removed before they develop into skin cancer. If left untreated, these spots may progress to squamous cell carcinoma. Health care physicians still encourage early treatment (by just removing the patch) to prevent the development of squamous cell skin cancer. It can be difficult to distinguish between noncancerous spots and cancerous ones. So it's best to have skin changes evaluated by a doctor to encourage treatment to prevent the development of cancer.

What are the Risk Factors of Actinic Keratosis?

Detecting an actinic keratosis early gives you the opportunity to treat the lesion and prevent skin cancer before it starts. When diagnosed promptly, almost all actinic keratosis can be successfully removed. Anyone can develop actinic keratoses. Here are some risk factors that make it more likely to have this skin condition:

Are older than 40
Live in a sunny place or geographical location close to the equator
Have a history of frequent or intense sun exposure or sunburn
Have red or blond hair, and blue or light-colored eyes
Tend to freckle or burn when exposed to sunlight
Have a personal history of an actinic keratosis or skin cancer
Have a weak immune system as a result of chemotherapy, leukemia, AIDS or organ transplant medications
Actinic keratosis may develop after a number of years of UV light exposure.
Current or previous use of tanning beds
History of unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or indoor tanning. This includes people who work outdoors in the sun, people with a bald scalp or thinning hair and those who have had sunburns.
Fair skin: While anyone can develop AKs, they occur far more frequently in people with fair skin.

How is Actinic Keratosis Treated?

While some cases of actinic keratosis may resolve naturally on their own, a person is highly recommended to seek medical treatments. Since the condition is pre-cancerous, immediate action is required. Chemical peels, particularly TCA, have demonstrated benefits for reducing and removing precancerous actinic keratosis. Once the treating physician has cleared the patient of the problematic spot, the aesthetician can continue the chemical peels for the patient as a preventative measure against recurrence. Chemical peels also are a great preventative treatment for a patient with a large amount of sun exposure and solar damage.

Your treatment options depend on how many lesions you have, where they are, your age and overall health. There are several different potential treatment options, which may include a combination of the following:

Surgical procedures
Topical treatments
Photodynamic therapy
Combination therapy

Prevention

Prevention of actinic keratoses is important because the condition can precede cancer or be an early form of skin cancer. Sun safety is necessary to help prevent development and recurrence of actinic keratosis patches and spots.

Take these steps to protect your skin from the sun:

Limit your time in the sun. Especially avoid time in the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. And avoid staying in the sun so long that you get a sunburn or a suntan.
Use sunscreen. Before spending time outdoors, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30.
Use sunscreen on all exposed skin and use lip balm with sunscreen on your lips. Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply it every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
Cover up. For extra protection from the sun, wear tightly woven clothing that covers your arms and legs. Also wear a broad-brimmed hat, which provides full face and neck protection.
Avoid tanning beds. The UV exposure from a tanning bed can cause just as much skin damage as a tan acquired from the sun.
Check your skin regularly and report changes to your doctor. Examine your skin regularly, looking for the development of new skin growths or changes in existing moles, freckles, bumps and birthmarks. With the help of mirrors, check your face, neck, ears and scalp. Examine the tops and undersides of your arms and hands.

Recognizing Skin Cancer in the Treatment Room

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