Actinic keratosis are patches of skin that have been exposed to a lot of sun throughout life and have become damaged over time. Actinic keratosis are often red or light brown in color with small hard scales. The cells in these patches of skin grow faster than normal cells and although most actinic keratosis are harmless, they can sometimes develop into a form of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. This is why you should treat your actinic keratosis.

While some actinic keratosis appear as uneven or scaly patches on the skin, it is possible that others appear as invisible sun damage around the skin lesion in larger patches.

Did you know that actinic keratosis are caused by long-term UV and sun exposure? Even if you are very careful in the sun today, it is the accumulated sun time during your life that has given rise to your skin lesions. Sun exposure doesn’t just mean time spent on the beach, but all the time you’ve spent in the sun. A bike ride, skiing or gardening are also examples of sun exposure.