Actinic Keratosis

Question: How long does it take a cancerous actinic keratosis to turn into cancer? 10% of actinic keratosis may be pre-cancerous. How long would it take one to turn into cancerous spot?

Answer: For the 10% that does become cancer, the time it takes depends on a lot of things. It depends on the individual, their general state of health (immunocompromised people can't fight off cancer as well as others), and the other things they might do to increase their chances of getting cancer in general (like smoking, not exercising, not eating the right foods, exposing their skin to too much sun, etc). There are actuarial tables that estimate mortality when you take some of these things into account. Also, treatment makes a big difference.

Question: Does all cases of actinic keratosis develop to SCC? Should they all be removed by surgery?

Answer: Depending on the dermatologist that you talk to, generally speaking about one in (six or ) eight actinic keratosis will eventually progress to become a SCC. This process can often be reversed by regular use of a drug like Solaraze. http://www.bradpharm.com/products/Doak/p… Apply twice daily and over time most AKs will fade away. Those that do not will probably eventually need freezing or removing. Another drug option for actinic keratosis is Aldara. The good thing about Aldara is that it can also be used to treat early SCCs. Aldara is usually applied every other day. Inflammation occurs at the site of the AK or SCC. This continues for 2-4-6 weeks (depending on size of lesion) and then when no more inflammation occurs you quit treating the spot and the AK or SCC will slough off and the area will begin healing. If needed the treatment can be done a second time after a month of rest. It takes a little practice to figure out how to best use Aldara but this certainly beats having to have numerous skin lesions excised surgically. http://www.aldara.com/ Aldara is currently FDA approved for treating AKs and BCC and will soon be approved for treating superficial SCCs. These new immune modifying drugs are the new direction in dermatology for treating skin cancers and other previously difficult to treat skin issues. You should also realize that there is much debate in the dermatology community about using these drugs to treat AKs, BCC, and SCC because much of the income of dermatologists has been derived from removing these lesions surgically. Some older Drs refuse to do anything besides cut them out because using drug therapy can really cut into their income. Make sure your dermatologist is treating you as a person and not an income stream in whether or not he decides whether a skin lesion needs excising or can be treated with drug therapy. btw - Lesions treated with Aldara can look quite inflamed and not good at all after 4-6 weeks of treatment but if you wait another month or six weeks post treatment you will have no scar and won't even be able to tell where the lesion previously was located.

Question: what is bowenoid actinic keratosis and how does photo dynamic therapy work?

Answer: First add some grundge psybrine juice with a dash of seismologen dust and mix well, then add some griboidiate granules, which give off a pleasant aroma like a soft but delicate almond smell. Finally, put some hydrothermoid into the mix and agiatate for six minutes.

Question: Actinic Keratosis from head CT scans? Have you experience that? is that possible?

Answer: HB, Not likely. CT scans have drastically changed. That would be extremely rare. Nothing to worry about. Take a deep breath and enjoy yourself. Everything will be fine.

Question: Is actinic keratosis a real danger?

Answer: Its indeed a precancerosis, a lot of people have it, especially those who have been in the sun a lot in their lifes, its easily removed with a laser, so if you have some, you should best contact a dermatologist

Question: Removal of Actinic Keratosis (sun spots)? I had some sun spots frozen for removal, but one on my face was sort of big and they cut it away from the skin. Well I guess some of the skin had to be cut too and now I have a small indentation. Has anyone had this done and did the skin grow back? I plan on calling the dr. when the office reopens. Thanks.

Answer: Actinic Keratosis Actinic keratosis (also called solar keratosis, sun spots or AK) is a pre-cancerous condition of thick, scaly or crusty patches of skin (actinic – caused by sunlight; keratosis – thickened scaly growth). AK is common in fair-skinned people and caused by long-term sun exposure. AKs may progress to invasive squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and are by far the most common lesion with malignant potential to arise on the skin. In the United States, AK represents the second most frequent reason for patients to visit a dermatologist. The frequency of AKs is directly related to sun exposure and skin type. AK can occur in patients as young as 20 or 30 years of age in areas of high sun exposure but is more common in patients aged 50 years and older. http://www.magenbiosciences.com/pages/ac…

Question: What does actinic keratoses do on a cellular level to the actinic lesions?

Answer: Actinic means changes caused by radiation. Keratosis means a disorder relating to keratin, a fibrous structural protein that is very hard by nature. Thus, actinic keratosis means a disease of keratin caused by radiation, in most cases solar radiation. It's a pre-cancerous malformation of the skin. Here's how it works: the epidermis is made up of three primary structural proteins, collagen, elastin, and keratin. In general terms, collagen makes it soft and waterproof, elastin makes it stretchy, and keratin composes the very outermost layers to protect the softer parts from damage. Since keratin is such a naturally hard material, it makes up a much smaller portion of the normal ratio. Calluses on hands or feet are the body's reaction to repeated minor abrasion. It ups the ratio of keratin in order to harden the skin and keep it from tearing. In actinic keratosis, damage from a radiant energy source (like the sun) destroys and damages the epidermal cells repeatedly over a period of time, resulting in the body upping the keratin level to harden the skin up, resulting in the ugly bumps and patches. Think of it like a callus, except instead of chafing making the skin toughen up, it's damage from the sun. -Dr. Finn

Question: Is this actinic keratosis? Or something worse? A few days ago I found a small, scaly patch on my lower belly but didn't really worry about it. Then today I found another one on the backside of my arm, and upon a full body inspection I found one more (a tiny one) on my side. They don't itch or bother me really at all. I have never really sunbathed a lot or spent an excessive amount of time outdoors (no more than most kids anyway, and probably a little less) but I am fair skinned and burn easily which I know is a risk factor for skin cancer. Are there any medical professions or skin cancer patients/survivors who could take a look and this photo and tell me what you think? It's a little gross I know.. blargh I'm panicking :( http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p274/…

Answer: If it is not an actinic keratosis then it is something worse. This bump is not a major health crisis but just a reminder to make an appointment soon with a dermatologist and get this lesion removed and biopsied. Some Drs think actinic keratosis is an early stage of squamous cell carcinoma while others think AK is a pre-cancer. In either case you need to get the worst spot removed and biopsied and probably get the lesser spots frozen with cryotherapy. You do look very fair skinned and you will probably need yearly derm appointments from now on.

Question: I have a round, slightly raised patch on my forehead? I am 62 and had a similar patch on my nose two years ago. It was Actinic keratosis. I had it frozen off. Now I have developed a patch slightly smaller than a 5p piece on my forehead. It is slightly darker than my skintone and has started to itch a lot. Any advice please? I am waiting to see the GP in two weeks' time.

Answer: This doesn't sound like actinic keratosis. I work around alot of people being a nurse and without seeing it I really can't tell you what it is, but with it itching, I'd say a ringworm or eczema or something to that effect. The only thing you can do is put anti fungal cream on ringworm and Eucerin cream works for eczema. Like I said, I could really tell you better if I could see it. Oh, by the way, if it's a ringworm, it will get bigger without treatment.

Question: Does Long hair on a male cause more skin damage to them? For instance: acne blackheads whiteheads Actinic Keratosis Acne (Pimples) Alopecia Areata Atopic Dermatitis Birthmarks and Other Abnormal Skin Pigmentation Boils Cellulite Chickenpox (Varicella) Exct.

Answer: Where did you get this list from? Acne and chicken-pox aren't even remotely related :\ Chicken-pox is a virus, it's not caused by skin irritation by long hair.