Seborrheic keratosis is a skin condition that causes wart-like skin growths. The growths vary a lot in color from a yellowish color to grey to shades of red. The growths also vary in depth and can be flat or slightly raised. The growths occur mostly in people who are beyond the age of 40. There are several methods that are used to treat seborrheic keratoses. They can either be treated at home or in a hospital.
Medical treatments in a hospital include: clinical surgery, laser surgery, and cryosurgery. Clinical surgery involves the use of a surgical tool to cut off the seborrheic keratosis growth. This method has a big chance of causing scarring and it there is also a risk of recurrence.
Laser surgery uses a high intensity beam of light which vaporizes the cells that are affected by seborrheic keratoses. A topical anesthetic may be used before the procedure to relieve the pain felt by the patient. The pain involved in this surgery feels like a burning sensation. This method is fairly reliable to get the work done and is also very fast.
Another method used by doctors to remove seborrheic keratosis is known as cryosurgery. This is a process that involves the use of liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen is applied on the seborrheic keratosis growths. The nitrogen kills the cells on the growth which causes it to dry out. The seborrheic keratosis growth eventually forms a scab and peels off to expose new healthy skin. This procedure can be performed at home since liquid nitrogen is readily available in stores. A lot of caution must be taken since liquid nitrogen is a dangerous substance. Special gloves must be used when dealing with it and it should only be applied on the keratotic growth.
Seborrheic keratoses can be removed at home using glycolic acid solution. A mixture of 30% glycolic acid should be applied on the keratotic growth and left to stand for as long as possible. The glycolic acid solution should be applied twice a day for best results. Glycolic acid gently exfoliates the affected skin cells. After several days of application, the keratosis slowly fades away until it completely disappears.
Another method of removing seborrheic keratoses at home is use of lactic acid. Lactic acid acts in the same way as glycolic acid. A concentration of 12% lactic acid should be used and applied in the same manner as glycolic acid. The seborrheic keratosis eventually fades away within a matter of days.
