Seborrheic keratosis

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Irritated Seborrheic Kerotosis - neck

Benign skin tumors - keratosis; Keratosis - seborrheic; Senile keratosis

Treatment is usually not needed unless the growths become irritated or are unsightly.

If treatment is needed, growths may be removed with surgery or freezing (cryotherapy).

Removing the growths is simple and usually does not cause scars. However, growths on the trunk often leave the skin lighter colored.

Growths usually do not return after they are removed. However, people who tend to get this condition may develop more growths in the future.

• Irritation, bleeding, or discomfort of growths
• Misdiagnosis (it may be difficult to tell apart from cancerous melanoma in some cases)
• Psychological distress from change in appearance

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Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of seborrheic keratosis.

Also call if you develop new symptoms, including:

• A change in the appearance of the skin growth
• New growths
• A growth that looks like a seborrheic keratosis, but it is the only growth or the growth has irregular borders and color. Your health care provider will need to determine whether the growth is melanoma.

Review Date: 10/03/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. 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).