Actinic Keratosis

Actinic keratosis (or AK) is considered a pre-cancerous growth of the skin. It often appears as a small scaly pink bump, but sometimes, roughness of the skin is all that can be detected. AK’s grow most often in sun-exposed areas such as the face, scalp, neck, chest, forearms and the back of the hands. Patient who have AK’s tend to have fair skin and a long history of sun exposure. If left untreated, a small number of these growths can progress over time to squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer of the skin cells.

Actinic keratoses are usually treated by two main methods. Isolated growths can be treated in a destructive method using a very cold medicine, liquid nitrogen. This is either sprayed or applied with a cotton tipped applicator directly on top of the growth. This is know as cryotherapy. A small blister may result from this treatment, which usually heals in a few days. If the growth of actinic keratosis is diffuse or widespread a topical cream may be used in addition to destructive therapy. These creams included 5’fluorouracil (Efudex, Carac) or imiquimod (Aldara). These are applied to the area of treatment for a few weeks until a reaction is observed.

Patients with many AK’s need prophylactic treatment, as well as close monitoring, because they are often the most susceptible to develop skin cancers. Sun protection with sunscreen, appropriate attire and avoidance of the sun during peak hours will also help reduce future development of AK’s and skin cancers. (AAD phamphlet)