Six effective ways dermatologists treat actinic keratosis

Actinic keratoses (AKs) arise in areas of sun damage and typically coincide with other signs of sun damage, such as uneven pigmentation, wrinkles, and loss of skin elasticity. 

Although AKs are not skin cancer, they are considered to be precancerous, which means that if they are left untreated, a significant proportion may develop into skin cancer like squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma, often referred to as “non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC)”. Research has shown that people with AKs have an increased risk of developing other types of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

Treatment Options for Actinic Keratosis:

1. Topical Medications: Imiquimod (Aldara): Boosts the immune system to help the body fight AK or Fluorouracil (Efudex): Interferes with the growth of abnormal skin cells.
2. Cryotherapy: Freezing the affected area with liquid nitrogen to remove AK lesions.
3. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT): A light-sensitive drug is applied to the skin, and then the area is exposed to light, destroying AK cells.
4. Laser Therapy/Energy-based devices: Uses laser light to remove or destroy AK lesions.  Fractional CO2 laser & Fraxel laser are common examples.
5. Chemical Peels: Application of a chemical solution to peel away the topmost layer of skin, treating AK.
6. Surgical Procedures. Include excision, electrodessication, and curettage, or cryosurgery.

Surgical procedures in combination with the following:            

• Cryotherapy
• Efudex
• Photodynamic therapy
• PDT
• Laser therapy

Restoring the Cells’ Capacity to Fight off DNA Damage

In addition to treating the damaged cells, a new and growing body of research is showing that it may also be important to regenerate the skin cells and to restore their ability to protect themselves from UV damage.  In fact, recent findings have identified new concepts to treat precancerous actinic damage by preventing the development of skin cancer. Under normal settings (assuming no genetic abnormalities), young and functional skin cells have self-protective mechanisms that repair the damage from UV / sun exposure, thereby preventing or delaying the formation of skin cancer. However, after a certain amount of exposure to UV light, this repair mechanism itself gets damaged, and damaged skin cells are able to continue proliferating.

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