Actinic Keratosis Information and Treatment 

Actinic Keratosis is a precancerous skin problem usually known as solar keratosis which can be defined as the premalignant lesion by years of sun exposure. It generally reflects a degree of solar damage, and may progress to basal cell carcinoma. The lesion envinces a rough, scaling macule or papule. Actinic Keratosis is a sun inflected precancerous lesions that are thin to thick scaly patches of skin on sun exposed areas, backs of hands, arms and face. These can be prevented by wearing sunscreen.

Actinic keratoses are small, noticeable, red-brown patches that don't dim away and have a featuristic rough texture accompanied by itching and burning. Actinic keratoses occur most rapidly in fair-skinned people. Common points are the face, scalp, back of the neck, upper chest, forearm and nape of the hand. Actinic Keratosis is not a skin cancer but in a small number of cases it can resolve into one, so it's advisable to have a medical opinion.

As time passes, untreated AK can convert into squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer. It is seen general in pale-skinned, fair-haired, light-eyed people, starting at age 30 or 40 and becoming more habitual with age. Though they may happen in younger individuals who have had a great deal of sun exposure.

Actinic keratoses, also known as solar keratoses, grow slowly and usually cause no marks or symptoms other than patches or small spots on the skin. AKs may be ground in persons as young as the teens and twenties. Actinic keratosis has physical characteristics which allow dermatologists to visually tag them.

Actinic keratosis can be prevented by dodging prolonged exposure to the sun. Keratinocytes are the tough-walled cells which make up 90 percent of the epidermis and give the skin its texture. The best treatment for an AK is prevention. The chief kinds of treatment for AKs are cryosurgery, surgical removal and biopsy, topical chemotherapy, and photodynamic therapy.