Actinic Keratosis - Info on Actinic Keratosis Symptom, Causes & Treatment

What is Actinic Keratosis?

Actinic keratosis (AK), also known as a solar keratosis, is a small, rough spot occurring on skin that has been chronically exposed to the sun. Actinic keratoses generally measure in size between 2 to 6 millimeters in diameter (between the size of a pencil point to that of an eraser). They are usually reddish in color and often have a white scale on top.

Actinic keratoses may feel Rough, Sore And Painful when fingers or clothing rub against them.

Causes of Actinic Keratosis

Sun Exposure cause Actinic Keratosis to develop. All AK, including actinic cheilitis, develop in the skin cells called the "keratinocytes," which are the tough-walled cells that make up 90% of the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, and give the skin its texture. Sun Exposure cause these cells to change in size, shape, and the way they are organized. Cellular damage can even extend to the dermis, the layer of skin beneath the epidermis.

Symptoms of Actinic Keratosis

1. Flat to slightly raised, scaly patches on the top layer of your skin.
2. Lesions on your skin ranging in color from pink to red to brown, or flesh-colored.

Actinic keratosis usually are 2mm to 4mm in diameter and primarily are found on areas exposed to the sun, including your face, lips, ears, back of your hands, forearms, scalp and neck. There may be a single lesion or more. Later, lesions can develop a hard, wart-like surface.

Treatment of Actinic Keratosis

The treatment of actinic keratosis include topical drug therapy, surgical or chemical destruction of the lesions and photodynamic therapy. In some cases, a combination of these modalities is used.

Therapy for actinic keratosis must be individualized. The approach to treatment selected for a particular patient depends upon many variables, including the following:

• The type, location, and extent of the lesions
• Changes in a lesion that may indicate malignancy
• Experience and training of the physician
• Success of previous treatment
• Patient preference
• Cost of treatment

Main Types of Treatment of Actinic Keratosis

• Cryosurgery - Freezing AK with liquid nitrogen often causes them to slough off and go away.
• 5-fluorouracil - Creams containing this medication cause AK to become red and inflamed before they fall off. Although effective, this method often produces unsightly and uncomfortable skin for a period of weeks, thus making it impractical for many patients.
• Other forms of surgery - Doctors sometimes cut away or burn off AK.
• Curettage / electro-desiccation.
• Excision - surgically removing the affected tissue (rare).
• Photodynamic therapy - This relatively new therapy involves injecting a chemical into the bloodstream that gathers in AK and makes them more sensitive to exposure to a specialized form of light.