It would be safe to say that actinic keratosis is something that most people don’t even know what it is. But go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief even it you do have it.
How do you know if you have it? You may have it if you have been noticing a rough scaly patch of skin on your face or other sun exposed area. It’s simply sun damage. But it is a very slow-growing precancerous skin lesion. I had it for years and didn’t know what it was until I went to a free skin cancer screening several months ago.
There were three patches of skin on my face that I was a little concerned about. Two of them I couldn’t see at all. I could only feel the roughness on my skin. The other one did also feel rough and scaly but on this one I could see a very slight change in my skin color.
Because I have seen things like this appear on my skin before and then after a period of time, simply disappear, I wasn’t really worried about it. It was the month of May which is Skin Cancer Awareness month and I heard about a free skin cancer screening that was taking place in my city, so my wife and I went.
That’s when I learned all three patches were actinic keratosis which is `sun damage`. The dermatologist also found a small basal cell spot on my cheek that I did not notice. She gave me a paper with her findings and recommended I make an appointment with a dermatologist. My wife also had a few moles that were precancerous and gave her the same recommendation.
The free screening was a good start but it was through my own research that I learned that actinic keratosis could eventually lead to squamous cell skin cancer. Since I had already experienced stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma 20 years ago, we definitely made the appointment.
The reason why I mentioned above to “go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief even if you do have it” is because it is very easy for the dermatologist to remove it with no scars or bad side effects.
It was a very simple procedure of freezing each spot by spraying it with liquid nitrogen for a few seconds and that was it. There was a stinging or burning feeling which went away very quickly. Later that day and on the next day the spots turned a little red and over a period of a few days they scabbed over and in about a week it had all dropped off. My skin looks good and is smooth again.
It would be good to mention that at my appointment with the second dermatologist he discovered another basal cell that was actually cancerous. I now have another appointment set up to have it removed by Mohs Surgery.
So whenever you feel something rough like this (usually on areas most exposed to the sun) go to a dermatologist and be checked out. It just may be actinic keratosis. Your dermatologist will also be able to see if there is anything else to be concerned about.
I am a 20 year survivor of stage III squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer. So, much of what I say comes from my own experiences. If you want to learn more about skin cancer, warning signs, treatments and more visit http://www.skin-cancer-experiences.com …And when you visit you are invited to tell your story if you have had… or are having any experience with skin cancer at all. There are many persons who may need to hear about your very experience.
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