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Rough, scaly red brown spots often come up in chronically sun exposed areas, such as the scalp, forehead, temples, nose, backs of the hands, forearms and even shoulders and legs. These rough spots are not skin cancers, but are considered a pre-cancerous change known as Actinic Keratosis.
Actinic keratosis is a common but serious skin condition afflicting many Americans. Actinic Keratosis is considered precancerous because a proportion of these lesions will transform into invasive skin cancers if left untreated.
Recently, a new topical cream has been developed for the treatment of Actinic Keraotsis.
Picato, also known as ingenol mebutate, is a topical, prescribed medication that has been shown to be effective for the treatment of Actinic Keratosis on the face and body. Unlike other topical creams used for Actinic Keratosis which can take weeks or even months to treat this condition, Picato only requires 2-3 days of treatment (depending on part of the body being treated). The active agent in Picato is actually derived from an Australian plant Euphorbia peplus. This product was used for years as a natural treatment for sun damaged skin, before being developed and distributed as a medication. Picato works by killing sun damaged, precancerous cells, and allowing new healthy skin cells to grow in their place. Picato was approved for use in the United States in January 2012.
Picato is easy to use. Simply apply the gel to the affected area, allow it to dry for approximately 15 minutes, and you are done until the next treatment. This is not for everybody, and the physicians at Sanova Dermatology can best determine if you are a good candidate for this medication and treatment. With easy application, good tolerability and limited downtime, Picato have become an affective and popular treatment for Actinic Keratosis.
If you have a suspicious spot on your skin or have been diagnosed with Actinic Keratosis, speak with one of our experienced dermatologists and contact Sanova Dermatology today for more information.