What are the symptoms of actinic keratoses?
They often cause little trouble. Many affected individuals are not aware of them at all. The involved skin feels rough and dry, and frequently it becomes pink, red or brown, giving a blotchy appearance if there are a lot of them.However, if an actinic keratosis starts to grow into a lump, becomes itchy or tender, or bleeds, medical advice should be sought as these changes could indicate the development of a skin cancer. What do actinic keratoses look like? Actinic keratoses can be variable in appearance, even differing from one another within a single individual. At first they can be hard to see, and are more easily felt, being rough, like sandpaper. They may grow up to a centimetre or two in diameter. Some are skin coloured, others are pink, red or brown. They can become raised, hard and warty, and may even develop a small horny outgrowth. The surrounding skin often looks sun-damaged – blotchy, freckled and wrinkled. How are actinic keratoses diagnosed? Usually, the appearance of an a
