Actinic keratosis (or solar keratosis) is a skin condition that results from the abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes, linked to chronic sun exposure. Actinic keratosis mostly affects fair-skinned men, and its frequency increases with age, especially after 70 years of age. The lesions rarely progress to squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer with metastatic potential (1-3). The various cosmetic treatments for actinic keratosis have no proven efficacy in preventing malignant transformation of these lesions (1). A variety of skin lesions. Actinic keratosis occurs on areas of the body that are most exposed to the sun: face, bald scalp, nape of the neck, arms, and back of the hands. Multiple lesions are often present, and they can be hard to see with the naked eye. In some patients, they present as thickening detectable by touch and may feel rough. Itching is uncommon (1,3). When actinic keratoses are visible, their appearance varies: thickening of the epidermis, often pigmented; red-plaques measuring from 1 mm to 2.5 cm or more in diameter; crusting sometimes with scaling (1,3).
展开▼
