Also called solar keratoses, they are reddish spots with scales on their surface that appear mainly in places exposed to the sun such as the face, scalp or neck; are caused by chronic sun exposure, they are considered a previous state of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
An actinic keratosis can progress to squamous cell carcinoma in a year from .03 to 20%, this will depend on the characteristics of the actinic keratosis and the more time passes, the more possibility they will have of progressing. 60% of CECs are preceded by a QA.
The treatments are variable and can be local with cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen) or some patients with multiple lesions require cancerization field treatments, which refers to treating a large area of skin with topical chemotherapy such as 5 fluorouracil or photodynamic therapy.
Go to your dermatologist, together we can prevent skin cancer.
