What is actinic keratosis?
Actinic keratosis are scaly, red, elevated spots that generally occur on the sun exposed areas of the body such as the face, arms and hands. They are not malignant, but they can develop into skin cancers if left untreated.
How is actinic keratosis treated?
There are a few different treatment options for actinic keratosis. Your dermatologist will determine which of the following treatments is right for you:
- Cryotherapy/Liquid Nitrogen: Freezing the affected areas with the application of Liquid Nitrogen is frequently used to treat individual lesions. After the Liquid Nitrogen is applied, a crust, scab, or blister may form and the area should return to normal in 1-2 weeks. The treated area can be washed normally. It may be left open or covered with a Band-Aid if you would like for cosmetic reasons, but you don’t need to cover it.
- 5-fluorouracil: A topical chemotherapy cream can be used to treat numerous lesions or diffuse sun damaged skin. The cream is applied for a few weeks and is absorbed by the sun damaged skin cells and kills them. This often causes redness and crusted lesions in the treated area during therapy. Once the therapy is stopped, the skin heals with significant cosmetic improvement.
- Imiquimod: This topical immune modulating cream activates the body’s immune system to attack and destroy sun damaged cells on the skin. It is typically used for a few weeks. This cream also produces redness and crusted skin lesions during treatment which then heals with clear skin and significant cosmetic improvement.
- Photodynamic Therapy (PDT): This light-based therapy uses a specific chemical which is placed on the affected skin and then exposed to light. The light activates the chemical and causes it to specifically destroy the sun damaged cells. Regardless of the treatment, should the scaling not go away or should it return, contact your dermatologist as additional treatment may be indicated.
Contact Sanova Dermatology for more information or schedule a consultation with one of our experienced dermatologists. We have offices across Texas, including Houston, Pflugerville, Austin, Bee Cave, and Dripping Springs, and Louisiana, with offices in Metairie, Old Metairie, Uptown New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
THE TREATMENTS BELOW CAN HELP WITH ACTINIC KERATOSIS:
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