Hammerling: Spots that appear as you age are common
One of the most common lesions that patients come to the dermatology office are are seborrheic keratoses.
Many patients think they are warts or are concerned that it could be melanoma because it is dark and raised.
Many just plain think they're ugly.
There are many benign and malignant skin growths in the field of dermatology. Seborrheic keratoses are the most common.
The growths are hereditary and usually do not appear until after age 30. Unfortunately, they continue to appear throughout a patient's lifetime.
Some patients may be fortunate enough to have a few scattered tan warty thin plaques versus other patients who may have hundreds of thick, dark, warty plaques on their chest or back.
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Most patients that visit a dermatology office have these lesions removed because they may be bothersome when rubbing on clothes and itching. Other patients want them removed for cosmetic reasons.
Seborrheic keratoses can be treated by various methods such as light electrocautery or cryosurgery.
Electrocautery can be an effective treatment since it allows removal with little effort. Cryosurgery is also an effective way to treat seborrheic keratoses and during the healing process it can blister and flake off.
In some cosmetic practices, chemical peels or lasers can be used for removal of seborrheic keratoses.
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Some lesions can mimic the appearance of seborrheic keratoses such as nevi, also known as moles, actinic keratoses (pre-cancers), warts, or malignant melanoma.
In rare cases, a sudden breakout of seborrheic keratoses can be an indicator for an underlying malignancy referred to as the Lesar Trelat sign.
There is no way to prevent or cure seborrheic keratoses. The diagnosis is clinically made, but sometimes a biopsy is required if the lesion itches, bleeds or becomes irritated.
Susan R. Hammerling, PA, MPAS, DFAAPA, works at Florida Dermatology Associates of Suntree.