Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Solar keratosis; Sun-induced skin changes - keratosis; Keratosis - actinic (solar)
Symptoms
Actinic keratosis is usually found on the face, scalp, back of the hands, chest, or other sun-exposed areas.
They may be gray, pink, red, or the same color as the skin. Often, they have a white or yellow scale on top.
- They begin as flat and scaly areas
- Later they develop a hard and wart-like or gritty, rough, and "sandpapery" surface -- may develop a horn-like texture
The skin lesion may be easier to feel than to see.
Signs and tests
The health care provider makes the diagnosis based on the appearance of the skin growth. A
Images
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Review Date: 10/08/2010
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of
Medicine. Also reviewed by Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Atlanta Center
for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed
Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
