What are keratosis spots?

Actinic keratoses are scaly spots or patches on the top layer of skin. With time they may become hard with a wartlike surface. An actinic keratosis (ak-TIN-ik ker-uh-TOE-sis) is a rough, scaly patch on the skin that develops from years of sun exposure.

mayoclinic.org - Actinic keratosis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

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Overview

Actinic keratosis Open pop-up dialog box Close Actinic keratosis Actinic keratosis Actinic keratoses are scaly spots or patches on the top layer of skin. With time they may become hard with a wartlike surface. An actinic keratosis (ak-TIN-ik ker-uh-TOE-sis) is a rough, scaly patch on the skin that develops from years of sun exposure. It's often found on the face, lips, ears, forearms, scalp, neck or back of the hands. Also known as a solar keratosis, an actinic keratosis grows slowly and usually first appears in people over 40. You can reduce your risk of this skin condition by minimizing your sun exposure and protecting your skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Left untreated, the risk of actinic keratoses turning into a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma is about 5% to 10%.

Symptoms

Actinic keratoses vary in appearance. Signs and symptoms include:

Rough, dry or scaly patch of skin, usually less than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter Flat to slightly raised patch or bump on the top layer of skin

In some cases, a hard, wartlike surface

Color variations, including pink, red or brown

Itching, burning, bleeding or crusting

New patches or bumps on sun-exposed areas of the head, neck, hands and forearms

When to see a doctor

It can be difficult to distinguish between noncancerous spots and cancerous ones. So it's best to have new skin changes evaluated by a doctor — especially if a scaly spot or patch persists, grows or bleeds. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry

Causes

An actinic keratosis is caused by frequent or intense exposure to UV rays from the sun or tanning beds.

Risk factors

Anyone can develop actinic keratoses. But you're at increased risk if you:

Have red or blond hair and blue or light-colored eyes

Have a history of a lot of sun exposure or sunburn

Tend to freckle or burn when exposed to sunlight

Are older than 40

Live in a sunny place

Work outdoors

Have a weakened immune system

Complications

If treated early, actinic keratosis can be cleared up or removed. If left untreated, some of these spots might progress to squamous cell carcinoma — a type of cancer that usually isn't life-threatening if detected and treated early.

Prevention

Sun safety is necessary to help prevent development and recurrence of actinic keratosis patches and spots.

Take these steps to protect your skin from the sun:

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