Actinic Keratosis- How To Treat It?

Excision is an option for actinic keratosis treatment. The method involves removing the lesions completely. Post-excision the wound is sutured and the sutures are removed after a few days when the wound has healed completely. Excision of the actinic keratosis will remove the complete lesion and any risk of further complication like skin cancer.

Photodynamic therapy is a treatment option used for actinic keratosis where a special ointment is applied on the lesions. After this, light ,either from a lamp or a natural source like the sun, is shone on the patches to kill the abnormal cells. The treatment may cause a stinging or burning sensation on the skin and may also lead to pigmentation of the treated area.

In order to prevent recurrence of actinic keratosis, it is important that the skin is protected from exposure to the sun. For that, using sunscreen, wearing full sleeved clothes along with a hat and limiting time in the sun as much as possible, should suffice.

Actinic keratosis is a condition that mainly develops as a result of exposure to UV radiation which damages the DNA of the skin. It has been reported that actinic keratosis can sometimes develop into skin cancer. Hence, it is important to treat the condition as soon as possible to avoid the risk of cancer.