Keratosis

Have you ever experienced fear upon trying to find out what type of skin lesion that is? Have you ever asked yourself whether it is a mere rash, a bite of an insect or a manifestation of other more menacing diseases? All you have to do is stop worrying and start gathering information about what your skin problem might be. Since you already have the proof on your skin, you can now just flip the pages of some books or browse through thousands of sites in the internet But if a trustworthy medical book or internet source proposes it is already a symptom of a far more threatening disease, consult a doctor at once.

Now, we will discuss one type of skin lesion – seborrheic keratosis. The term keratosis originates from its base word keratin – an/a inherent protein in the skin – which has the capacity to overgrow. It can appear from yellowish to brownish and in some, even blackish in color. Though it usually appears as a skin elevation, there are some cases is which it is plainly smooth. Its size also varies from extremely to small up to an inch in diameter. In contour, it is mostly rounded or oblong-shaped. Due to its correspondence to a wart’s appearance, it is usually mistaken for it which should not be the case because the two are very distinctive from each other. This type of keratosis prefers to appear in groups than to appear as a/an single lesion. It can actually manifest on any part of the body but most of the time, they are seen at the chest or the back. But if someone asks what makes this lesion stand out, the answer is its slick or oily appearance. It is also important to be informed that this does not cause pain at all. Just do not irritate the lesion so you can prevent its inflammation and you will be fine. As you have noticed, there is nothing to worry about or is there?

Before we go any further, we must first answer the question: “What is skin cancer?” It is as of yet the type of cancer. One out of eight Americans suffers from skin cancer. But you will be happy to know that it is easily discovered because inspection of the skin can be done without difficulty. As a result, any skin abnormality receives the appropriate treatment at once. There are three types of skin cancer named according to the type of cells from which they originate. The most widespread skin cancer is the basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Even though malignant, basal cell carcinoma grows very slowly and does not always metastasize. Initially, a small, translucent nodule appears. It grows by forming an ulcer at the center of the lesion’s original site. The next most prevalent skin cancer type is the basal cell carcinoma. In contrast, this has a more rapid growth, undergoes metastasis, has a firmer consistency and redder in color. Lastly, malignant melanoma is the most lethal type. Its characteristics can be described using the mnemonic ABCDE. It is asymmetric, its borders are irregular, its color varies, its diameter is greater than 6 millimeters and it is elevated.

Now, we can answer the question whether it is precancerous or not. Though actinic keratosis, another type of keratosis, leads to squamous cell carcinoma, seborrheic keratosis does not. Seborrheic keratosis, to our surprise, is a benign type of skin growth.

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