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Diseases & conditions
Featured
Monkeypox: What you need to know Monkeypox is a contagious disease that causes a rash. A board-certified dermatologist explains what the rash looks like and when to seek medical care.
When to treat molluscum contagiosum This contagious skin disease will usually clear on its own, but sometimes dermatologists recommend treating it. Find out when.
Everyday care
Featured
Practice Safe Sun Everyone's at risk for skin cancer. These dermatologists' tips tell you how to protect your skin.
Relieve uncontrollably itchy skin Find out what may be causing the itch and what can bring relief.
Darker Skin Tones
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Fade dark spots Find out why dark spots appear and what can fade them.
Untreatable razor bumps or acne? If you have what feels like razor bumps or acne on the back of your neck or scalp, you may have acne keloidalis nuchae. Find out what can help.
Cosmetic treatments
Featured
Laser hair removal You can expect permanent results in all but one area. Do you know which one?
Scar treatment If you want to diminish a noticeable scar, know these 10 things before having laser treatment.
Botox It can smooth out deep wrinkles and lines, but the results aren’t permanent. Here’s how long botox tends to last.
Public health programs
Featured
Free materials to help raise skin cancer awareness Use these professionally produced online infographics, posters, and videos to help others find and prevent skin cancer.
Dermatologist-approved lesson plans, activities you can use Free to everyone, these materials teach young people about common skin conditions, which can prevent misunderstanding and bullying.
Find a dermatologist
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Find a Dermatologist You can search by location, condition, and procedure to find the dermatologist that’s right for you.
What is a dermatologist? A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails. Dermatologists care for people of all ages.
If your dermatologist tells you that you have a precancerous skin growth, it means one thing. Your skin has been badly damaged by the sun, indoor tanning, or both. The good news is that it’s not too late to do something about this damage and protect your health.
To do this, it helps to understand these 5 facts about precancerous skin growths, which your dermatologist may refer to as actinic keratoses (AKs) or solar keratoses.
Treatment can prevent a precancerous skin growth from progressing to skin cancer. Some precancerous skin growths go on to become a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. There’s no way for your dermatologist to know which ones will progress to skin cancer.
When you get rid of an AK, it cannot go on to become skin cancer.Treatment can relieve symptoms, such as itching or tenderness. Some AKs feel tender. An AK can also itch or bleed. When you get rid of the AKs, you get rid of the symptoms.
Some people need multiple and repeat treatments. When you think of treating a precancerous spot on your skin, you probably envision going to your dermatologist’s office for a one-time treatment; however, some people need more involved treatment.
If you have severely sun-damaged skin, you may have many AKs. Some of these AKs, you may be able to feel on your skin but not see. These hidden AKs can feel gritty. Some people say they feel like spots of sandpaper on the skin.To treat both the visible and hidden AKs, your dermatologist may recommend that you have more than one type of treatment.Your treatment plan many involve going to your dermatologist’s office for a treatment, such as cryotherapy or a specialized light treatment called photodynamic therapy (PDT). You may also need to apply medication at home.By using more than one treatment, you can treat both the visible and hidden AKs. This reduces the amount of time that you need to treat the AKs and reduces your risk of developing skin cancer.Sun protection delivers big benefits. Many people who have precancerous skin growths are surprised to learn that they need to protect their skin from the sun. They often think that the damage is done, so what’s the point.
If you have a precancerous skin growth, protecting your skin from the sun offers two big benefits: 1) It helps to prevent the sun from causing further damage to your skin, which could lead to more precancerous growths or skin cancer, and 2) It gives your body a chance to repair some of the damage to your skin.If you’re unsure about how to protect your skin, you can learn what to do at Prevent skin cancer.Lifelong skin cancer exams can be life-saving. Having just one precancerous skin growth means that the sun, indoor tanning, or both have badly damaged your skin. As such, you have an increased risk of developing skin cancer.
Getting your skin examined by a board-certified dermatologist helps to find precancerous skin growths and skin cancer early when they’re highly treatable.Your dermatologist can tell you tell you often you should come in for a skin exam and how often you should examine your skin at home.
Looks can be deceptive
Precancerous skin growths may look harmless. As you now know, their looks can be deceptive. Following your dermatologist’s recommendations can help protect your skin and your health.
Precancerous skin growths may look harmless
These arrows point to precancerous skin growths that are barely noticeable.
Related AAD resources
Images
Image 2: J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017;76(2):349-50.
References
Tolley K, Argenziano G, et al. “Pharmacoeconomic evaluations in the treatment of actinic keratoses.” Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2017;30(2):178-81.
Uhlenhake EE. “Optimal treatment of actinic keratoses.” Clin Interv Aging. 2013;8:29-35.
