What Is It?

Actinic Keratosis is a precancerous skin growth that may progress to a skin cancer. The growths begin as small, scaly or crusty patches on the skin's surface. A keratosis is most commonly found on areas that are heavily exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, scalp, neck, upper back and chest, backs of hands and forearms. They usually appear red but their colors can range from light or dark tan, pink, or a combination of these. Occasionally it itches or produces a pricking or tender sensation. Some actinic keratoses naturally disappear only to reappear later. Often you will see several actinic keratoses at a time.

What Causes It?

Actinic keratoses are directly related to past sun (ultraviolet) exposure. People who have lightly complected skin, blonde or red hair, blue, green, or gray eyes are at the greatest risk. Those who are darker complected can develop keratoses if they expose themselves to the sun without protection. If left untreated, some AKs may increase in size and pose a significant risk of developing into a form of skin cancer.

What Can Be Done?

There are a number of effective treatments for eradicating actinic keratoses. Dr. Resnik will determine the best treatment method for you based on the nature of the lesion, your age, and your health.

The Levulan® PDT system is a non-surgical procedure for the treatment of actinic keratoses. It is an advanced two-step system that combines the application of a unique solution to the skin lesions and exposing the treated areas to a specialized blue light to destroy the AKs.

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