Actinic Keratoses
AK's are pre-cancerous, sun damaged lesions on the skin. The most common areas of the for precancers (actinic keratoses) to develop on are the face, scalp, arms and hands. A certain percentage of actinic keratoses go on the develop skin cancer. Particularly they turn into squamous cell carcinoma - which is a much more concerning type of skin cancer. Skin surgery is not required for treatment of more actinic keratoses.
Treatments for AKs include:
Freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery)
Photodynamic therapy
Topical medications
What does a precancer look like?
They can appear in many different forms. It is important to have all new growth, scaly patches, changing moles, growths that change in appearance, or wounds that do no heal evaluated promptly by a dermatologist. These growths may be precancerous or even skin cancers and should not be ignored.
If you are unable to view this video, please feel free to call our office for info/a description.
Dr. Mohiba Tareen, board certified dermatologist and one of Minnesota's Top Dermatologists, demonstrates a full body skin exam at her clinic in Roseville, MN. Dr. Tareen performs a detailed examination and then determines the best aesthetic way to remove the mole to leave the most minimal mark behind.