Abirritate Actinic Keratosis. You are fair skinned and like to soak… | by Natasha Allen

You are fair skinned and like to soak up the sun. You have rough scaly patches on your arms and hands. They can actually bleed if you bump them. You could have actinic keratosis.

What is actinic keratosis

Actinic keratosis is a precancerous skin condition. This means that while its not cancerous now, if left untreated, it may turn into skin cancer. Actinic keratosis appears raised, scaly pink or red-brown rough patches on the skin.

The patches are most likely to appear on the face, back of the hands or other areas usually exposed to the sun. They cause discomfort and itching.

Risk factors for actinic keratosis

According to the Cleveland Clinic, people who don’t protect their skin from sun exposure are more probable to get actinic keratosis. The risk is also higher if you have:

Blonde or red hair.
Blue or green eyes.
Fair or light complexion.
History of multiple or severe sunburns.
Weakened immune system because of illness or immunotherapy treatment for cancer.

Symptoms of actinic keratosis

The first signs of actinic keratosis are rough, raised bumps on the skin. They may vary in color but often have a yellow or brown crust on top. The bumps may appear as gray, pink, red or the same color as your skin. Some symptoms are bleeding; burning, stinging or itching; dry, scaly lips; hornlike skin growths that protrude out; loss of color in the lips; and pain or tenderness.

How actinic keratosis is diagnosed

Actinic keratosis is diagnosed by carefully reviewing the skin and using magnification. In certain instances, your health care provider may perform a skin biopsy.

Treatments for actinic keratosis

Doctors have a variety of methods to remove areas of actinic keratosis. Most treatments can remove actinic keratosis spots without permanent scarring:

Cryotherapy. “Cryotherapy” means “cold treatment.” The standard treatment for actinic keratosis is to freeze the area with liquid nitrogen, the temperature of which is well below freezing. Inflammation, swelling and blistering may occur following the treatment. A small scab forms, and then healthy new skin appears as it heals.
Creams and gels. A prescription cream containing a chemotherapy drug can remove a patch of actinic keratosis. But these creams cause sun sensitivity and, often, significant discomfort. Another drug applied to the skin arouses the immune system to release chemicals that fight cancer cells and viruses. This treatment causes actinic keratosis patches to become inflamed, crust over and heal. Other topical products are also available.
Deeper treatments. If your actinic keratosis is extensive — if you have multiple actinic keratosis patches on your face, for example — you may need deeper treatments. These include laser resurfacing or a chemical peel. A chemical peel breaks down the outer layers of the skin with a chemical solution. Laser resurfacing and chemical peels can involve local or general anesthesia. Depending on how deeply the treatments enter the skin, they may cause considerable swelling. Another effective treatment involves scraping away damaged tissue and using an electric probe to kill any remaining precancerous cells.
Photodynamic therapy. This uses light to trigger a drug that destroys actinic keratosis cells. This therapy is suitable when there are many actinic keratosis spots on the face and scalp.
Surgery. While not usually necessary, different types of surgery also may be used. The patch of actinic keratosis can be cut out. This needs to be done in a surgical suite and usually requires stitches. Simpler forms of surgery such as curettage and dermabrasion can be done in the doctor’s office. Curettage and dermabrasion involve scraping away the top layer of skin, which contains the actinic keratosis. It is not unlike what you do when peeling a carrot.

The major risk factor for actinic keratosis is sun exposure. Wearing sunblock and taking other protective measures is the surest way to prevent reoccurrence of actinic keratosis. If you think you have an actinic keratosis, you should see your doctor right away.

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