Actinic keratosis

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Actinic keratosis - close-up	Actinic keratosis - ear	Actinic keratosis on the arm	Actinic keratosis on the forearms
Actinic keratosis on the scalp

Solar keratosis; Sun-induced skin changes - keratosis; Keratosis - actinic (solar)

Actinic keratosis is usually found on the face, scalp, back of the hands, chest, or other sun-exposed areas.

They may be gray, pink, red, or the same color as the skin. Often, they have a white or yellow scale on top.

• They begin as flat and scaly areas
• Later they develop a hard and wart-like or gritty, rough, and "sandpapery" surface -- may develop a horn-like texture

The skin lesion may be easier to feel than to see.

The health care provider makes the diagnosis based on the appearance of the skin growth. A skin biopsy may be done for larger and thicker actinic keratoses to make sure no cancer is present.

Review Date: 10/08/2010
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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