What is the most effective treatment for actinic keratosis?
Actinic keratoses can be removed by freezing them with liquid nitrogen. Your doctor applies the substance to the affected skin, which causes blistering or peeling. As your skin heals, the damaged cells slough off, allowing new skin to appear. Cryotherapy is the most common treatment.
What kills actinic keratosis?
Topical Treatments They can be treated by the application of gels and creams such as fluorouracil, imiquimod, ingenol mebutate or diclofenac. These topical applications are most effective if there are several closely spaced lesions on the skin.
What aggravates actinic keratosis?
The most common cause of actinic keratosis is too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light comes from the sun or indoor tanning equipment, such as tanning beds. UV light can damage your outer layer of skin cells, called keratinocytes.
How long does it take for actinic keratosis to heal?
The patient will experience erythema, severe burning, pain and dying of the actinic keratotic lesion. Healing usually occurs in 10-14 days. However, some lesions may not respond and a second treatment session may be required after 8 weeks. Other methods are chemical peeling agents and, rarely, removal by excision.
Which medication is commonly used for the treatment of actinic keratosis?
Fluorouracil has been the traditional topical treatment for actinic keratoses, although imiquimod 5% cream and diclofenac 3% gel are effective alternative therapies. There are too few controlled trials comparing treatment modalities for physicians to make sound, evidence-based treatment decisions.
Can you scratch off actinic keratosis?
While an actinic keratosis can sometimes resolve on its own, it usually recurs after further sun exposure; if scratched or picked off, it will return as well.
Why do I keep getting actinic keratosis?
What are the risk factors for actinic keratosis? UV rays from the sun and from tanning beds cause almost all actinic keratoses. Damage to the skin from UV rays builds up over time. This means that even short-term exposure to sun on a regular basis can build up over a lifetime and increase the risk of actinic keratoses.
Is Vaseline good for actinic keratosis?
Wash around the area with clean water 2 times a day. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the area with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a non-stick bandage.
What is a substitute for fluorouracil?
Fluorouracil has been the traditional topical treatment for actinic keratoses, although imiquimod 5% cream and diclofenac 3% gel are effective alternative therapies.