Medical Dermatology

Actinic Keratosis

Actinic keratoses (AKs), also known as solar keratoses, are scaly or crusty growths.

These lesions can be precursors to squamous cell carcinoma and, thus, are known as a “pre-cancers.” AK’s most often appear on the bald scalp, face, ears, lips, backs of the hands, forearms, shoulders, neck, or any other areas of the body frequently exposed to the sun. Commonly, they appear as red, scaly crusts, but many can be invisible or smooth to the touch. Treatment modalities include cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen), topical creams such as Aldara, Efudex, Carac, and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) with Levulan.

Click here to read our blog, “Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a powerful tool to take care of sun-damaged skin!”