Actinic Keratosis

Brentwood Dermatologists specialize in Actinic Keratosis treatment, providing topical and surgical solutions.

What is Actinic Keratosis?

Actinic Keratosis, also commonly known as Solar Keratosis, is a skin ailment normally accompanied by scaly, dry, pinkish patches.

What Causes Actinic Keratosis?

The most common cause of Actinic Keratosis is skin damage caused by years of exposure to UV rays from the sun or tanning beds. Typically, it affects individuals 40 years of age and over.

Is Actinic Keratosis Cancer?

No, Actinic Keratosis is not a form of cancer. However, it does have the possibility to turn into cancer. Actinic Keratosis should be treated and or removed as early as possible to prevent it from developing into skin cancer.

What Does Actinic Keratosis Look Like?

Actinic Keratosis, or AK, looks like dry, crusty, or scaly patches of skin. These patches of skin can be raised and range in color from pink, red, white, or tan shades. It will most likely be coarse to the touch when running your hand over it.

How Do I Treat My Actinic Keratosis?

There are several ways to treat AK. Your dermatologist will determine which method is based based on your AK’s progression.

Topical Actinic Keratosis Treatment

Topical cream and gels can treat some cases of actinic keratosis. Two creams that Brentwood Dermatology often recommends to patients are:

Fluorouracil cream
Imiquimod cream

Surgical Actinic Keratosis Treatment

In some cases, patients may need a surgical procedure to treat Actinic Keratosis. Brentwood Dermatology offers the following non-invasive surgeries to fully remove your AK.

Cryosurgery – The process of using a medical device to freeze off the affected patches of scaly skin.
Photodynamic Surgery – Surgery involving the application of a light-sensitive chemical combined with specific forms of light to destroy precancerous cells..
Scraping – This is the process of removing Actinic Keratosis by scraping it away with an instrument called a curet. At Brentwood Dermatology, this is normally paired with electrodesiccation to increase the chances of fully eliminating all potentially cancerous cells.