Also known as solar keratosis or senile keratosis, it is a premalignant condition of thick, scaly or crusty patches of skin. It is commonly found condition in fair skinned people who are exposed to a lot of sun as their pigment is not protective. It also results in solar damage. As a few of these pre cancers can result in squamous cell carcinoma therefore it should not be left untreated.

Constant exposure of skin to the sun results in the appearance of thick, scaly or crusty patches of skin. This part is dry and rough. The growth begins as flat scaly areas and later it grows into a tough wart like area. They commonly range between two to six mm and the color ranges from dark or light, tan, pink, red or a combination of all these.    It occurs in sun exposed areas such as chest, ears, face, neck, forearms etc.

Cause

Actinic keratosis is caused by exposure to sun. It occurs mostly in fair skinned and generally elderly and young individuals suffer from it. The growths take place in sun exposed skin areas. The growth starts as flat, scaly areas which later develop into a hard wart like surface. If left untreated, approximately one percent of the cases develop into squamous cell carcinoma.

Symptoms

The symptoms of actinic keratosis include dry and rough textured skin lesion with a patch, growth or macule on the skin which is limited to a distinct area. The skin lesions can be easily felt rather than seen.

A thorough examination by doctors helps in identifying this condition. A biopsy may have to be conducted when the keratosis becomes large or gets thickened in order to rule out skin cancer.

Treatment

As actinic keratosis represents precancerous changes, they should be timely examined and health care provider’s advice must be followed for treatment. It can be treated by cryotherapy, surgery or electrical cautery. Another treatment includes topical medications which results in skin removal or peeling such as imiquimod or 5-fluorouracil.

In order to avoid developing this condition, one should not stay in the sun for longer periods of time without sunscreen. Frequent application of powerful sunscreens with a SPF rating greater than 15 helps in blocking both UVA and UVB light. One should wear appropriate clothing like hats, long skirts and long sleeved shirts which help in covering the body. Also, one should avoid venturing during noon as UV light is the most powerful at that time.