Highlights
Actinic Keratoses: Procedures
There are several dermatologic procedures that provide effective treatment of actinic keratoses. The type of procedure recommended will depend upon the location of the lesion and other variables. These procedures may be combined with other procedures or medications, such as Aldara, or 5-FU.
- Cryosurgery uses liquid nitrogen to freeze off the lesions. It is fast, has a high cure rate, and is well-tolerated by most people. There may be a very brief period of stinging when the liquid nitrogen is first applied, but anesthesia is not required.
- Shave removal is a procedure during which a scalpel is used to remove the lesion and obtain a specimen for testing.
- Curettage is often used to remove hard, thickened actinic keratoses. In this procedure, a small, round, sharp instrument (called a curette) is used to scrape the actinic keratosis, either removing a piece of it for biopsy or removing the entire lesion.
- Lasers deliver an intense light focused on the lesion, removing it along with the top layer of skin. The finely controlled nature of laser removal makes this a useful option for actinic keratoses on delicate skin, such as the lips (actinic chelitis), or in narrow, hard-to-reach places (such as behind the ears).
Additional treatment options include chemical peels and photodynamic therapy (PDT).
Aldara Cream is a skin-use only (topical) prescription medicine used to treat certain types of actinic keratosis on the face and scalp of adults with normal immune systems.
Safety Information:
When using Aldara Cream, the most common side effects involve skin reactions in the application area. These include redness, swelling, a sore, blisters, or ulcers, skin that becomes hard or thickened, skin peeling, scabbing and crusting, itching, burning, and changes in skin color that do not always go away.
When using Aldara Cream for actinic keratosis, exposure to sunlight (including sunlamps) should be avoided or minimized during use of Aldara Cream because of concern of heightened sunburn susceptibility. Patients should be warned to use protective clothing (hat) when using Aldara Cream.
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