Seborrheic keratosis is the presence of noncancerous wart-like growths on the skin surface. It can also be referred to as barnacles of old age, senile warts, seborrheic verruca, and senile keratosis. Keratinocyte is the starting point of this benign growth on the surface of the skin. Seborrheic keratosis becomes more evident as people age just like with age spots.
The medical term “seborrheic keratosis” is the combination of the word seborrheic (characterized by the skin disorder causing scaly, itchy, and flaky, reddish skin affecting the sebum-gland rich areas), and the producer of keratin known as keratinocyte and the suffix -osis meaning abnormal.
The characteristics of seborhheic keratoses may vary like how it goes with their colors ranging from light tan to black. They have measurements from small ones up to more than one inch across.
Even though it has no viral origins, it can look like a wart and even melanoma skin cancer. A seemingly pasted on appearance is the typical description of seborrheic keratosis granted that the only part involved in the top layer of the epidermis.
It is still unclear why there are seborrheic keratoses appearing on some individuals. However, the harmful rays coming from the sun can be attributed because the parts of the body involved are those that are exposed to the sun in most cases. This areas include arms, neck, face, and back. One more contributor to its existence is genetics.
The horny pearls of and the embedded cysts can be attributed to its development on the skin. When in doubt, it is still the best thing to do to consult a dermatologist. A common way to know your condition is through a skin biopsy.
Seborrheic keratosis looks greatly like epidermal nevi. The same way goes with warts and condylomas, so it is really advisable to undergo a dermatoscopy. A skin biopsy is necessary for you to distinguish it from condylomas when it is on the genital skin.
Just as long as there is a correct diagnosis to the condition, no more treatment is needed. If the lesions are picked, there is a small risk that the surrounding areas of the skin would be infected locally. One good method is cryosurgery if there is a sharp itchiness brought by the growth.
For those individuals who have tiny lesions, light electrocautery is the best treatment to be considered. In the same way, for those individuals who have bigger lesions, different treatments like shave excision, electrodessication and curettage, and cryotherapy can be gone through. In order for the skin to have not much visible scars, proper treatment must be carried out.
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