Posts Tagged: Keratosis

Keratosis Pilaris: It Feels Like Sandpaper…

Keratosis Pilaris (KP) in mild cases is limited to the posterior upper arms and manifests as a “horny plug” in each hair follicle.  It is due to abnormalities in keratinization in the upper lining of the hair follicle that collects, causing a horny plug. This gives it a very uniform distribution as shown in the… Read more »

Seborrheic Keratosis: Atypical Forms…

Atypical Seborrheic Keratosis (SK) are variations that may be seen that are “less obvious” and may be confused with other skin lesions.  The photograph above is concerning because it is jet black and very thick.  Such lesions warrant a biopsy to exclude the possibility of a malignancy, such as melanoma. In the photograph above you will note… Read more »

Seborrheic Keratosis: Barnacles of life…

Seborrheic Keratosis (Keratoses) are incredibly common.  They are harmless “warty” spots that appear during adult life and are a common sign of skin ageing.  Although they appear warty and are frequently mistaken as warts, they are not warts (warts are caused by papiloma viruses). They present as oval, slightly raised to thick tan or light-brown… Read more »

Actinic Keratosis: Field Treatments—5-Fluorouracil, Imiquimod, Ingenol and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Field treatments for actinic keratosis are very effective, however, they can be quite reactive so patients need to be aware of this.  For patients applying 5-Fluorouracil (Efudex) or Imiquimod (Aldara) the treatment cycle is usually 4 weeks.  There are variations in this, such as, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off then 2 weeks on again.  Ingenol… Read more »

Actinic Keratosis: Treatment—Cryotherapy

There are many treatment options available and one of the most frequently used is cryotherapy.  Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold, between -346.0 F to -320.44 F, and when used as a spray produces a rapid freeze of tissue.  This concentrates the thermal injury directly to the outer layer of cells, the abnormal proliferative cells that… Read more »

Actinic Keratosis: What is it?

Also known as Solar Keratosis, Actinic Keratosis are in situ dysplasias reslting from sun exposure.  Those individuals with light skin are particularly predisposed and the most common sites of involvement are the exposed surfaces of the face–ears, balding scalp, dorsal hands and forearms.  The amount of damage can be profound, as shown on this first… Read more »