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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Actinic keratosis

Actinic keratosis - close-up
Actinic keratosis - close-up
Actinic keratosis - ear
Actinic keratosis - ear
Actinic keratosis on the arm
Actinic keratosis on the arm
Actinic keratosis on the forearms
Actinic keratosis on the forearms
Actinic keratosis on the scalp
Actinic keratosis on the scalp
Alternative Names

Solar keratosis; Sun-induced skin changes - keratosis; Keratosis - actinic (solar)


Symptoms
  • Rough and dry textured skin lesion
  • A macule, patch, or growth on the skin
    • Limited to a discrete area (localized)
    • Located on the face, scalp, back of the hands, chest or other sun-exposed areas
    • Gray, pink, red (erythematous), or the same color as the skin
    • Initially flat and scaly on the surface, becoming slightly raised
    • Becoming hard and wart-like or gritty, rough, and "sandpapery" -- may develop a horn-like texture from overgrowth of skin keratin layer (hyperkeratosis)

Signs and tests

The health care provider bases the diagnosis on the appearance of the skin growth. A skin biopsy could reveal signs of cancerous changes, if present.



Review Date: 10/17/2006
Reviewed By: Michael S. Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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