Actinic keratoses
SYMPTOMS
Typical of actinic keratosis are areas of skin that are rough to the touch, often easily palpable and visually reddened.
Diagnosis
Therapy
Creams or ointments containing certain drugs such as fluorouracil are used as drug therapy. They stimulate an inflammatory reaction, which leads to the formation of new skin. This form of therapy can be carried out over a shorter or longer period of time with different intensity levels of dosage. Alternatively, actinic keratosis can be treated selectively with nitrogen in the practice.
Photodynamic therapy
We recommend photodynamic therapy for large areas of disease. This involves using a special laser (fractionated laser) to gently open up the skin structure so that a cream containing methyl aminolevunilate can be applied. The patient should then spend around two hours outdoors in order to activate the active ingredient with the help of sunlight. After the two hours, the patient is followed up in the practice.
As a result of this therapy, redness and crusts develop on the treated areas in the days following treatment, which can persist for several weeks. This is a desired effect, as new skin is formed in the affected areas. A medical check-up should take place three days after the treatment. The aim of this therapy is the formation of new skin on the areas of skin that were previously affected by actinic keratoses.
