Actinic Keratosis Symptoms
Actinic keratoses, also known as solar keratoses is a precancerous skin growth usually caused by sun exposure, it grows slowly and usually cause no signs or symptoms other than patches or small spots on the skin. These lesions take years to develop, usually first appearing in older adults. Left untreated, about one in 10 cases of actinic keratoses develop into squamous cell carcinoma, a serious form of skin cancer. Symptoms of Actinic Keratosis may include:
- Hard and wart-like or gritty, rough, and sandpapery, may develop a horn-like texture from overgrowth of skin keratin layer (hyperkeratosis)
- Flat to slightly raised, scaly patches on the top layer of your skin
- Lesions on your skin ranging in color from pink to red to brown, or flesh-colored
Patches or lesions caused by actinic keratosis usually are 1 inch or less in diameter and primarily are found on areas exposed to the sun, including your face, lips, ears, back of your hands, forearms, scalp and neck. There may be a single lesion or more. Later, lesions can develop a hard, wart-like surface.
Actinic keratosis may be the earliest form of squamous cell carcinoma. This
type of cancer usually isn't life-threatening if detected and treated early.
However, actinic keratoses can grow to be large and invade surrounding tissues,
some spreading, metastasizing to other parts of your body. The more keratoses
you have, the greater your chance of developing skin cancer.
If you have a skin lesion that persists, grows or bleeds, see your doctor.
Actinic Keratoses Symptoms to A
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