Seborrheic Keratoses: Unsightly Skin Growths that Are Probably Non-Cancerous

With age comes changes in our skin, including skin growths such as warts, moles, and those sometimes nasty-looking seborrheic keratoses. Most people have seen senior citizens with seborrheic keratoses, those raised skin growths that develop over time and are sometimes confused with warts or moles.

Children very rarely develop seborrheic keratoses. They generally appear on senior citizens, although they may develop during pregnancy or following hormone replacement therapy or during menopause.

Seborrheic keratoses are not related in any way to either warts or moles. They are the most common benign tumor and can grow one at a time or in clusters. These skin growths can appear anywhere, but usually show up on the chest or back. Seborrheic keratoses vary from the size of a pencil lead to the size of a half dollar or bigger; their color varies from light tan to black.

They can look like little clumps of dried dirt or have a more waxy appearance; these skin growths are sometimes referred to as barnacles. Seborrheic keratoses can have smooth or rough edges, making them tempting to pick at or pull off, which will cause them to bleed. Sometimes picking or pulling at them can also cause them to increase in size.

There is no known cause for these sometimes unsightly and annoying skin growths. They are not caused by sun exposure; they are found on areas that have been both sun-exposed and never exposed to the sun. Seborrheic keratoses do appear to run in families, even to the such an extent that the pattern of skin growths will be similar in parents and their children.

There is no cure for seborrheic keratoses; neither is there any known prevention. These skin growths are not serious; neither do they pose any kind of a health problem. They affect only the outer layer of the skin and are relatively easy to remove, with little scarring. However, it is usually better to just leave them alone unless they appear as unsightly skin growths on the face or other visible part of the body. Removal might also be considered if the skin growths become large, irritated, itch, and bleed. If seborrheic keratoses become black and there is concern about skin cancer, removal and a biopsy is a reasonable course of action.

If removal of the seborrheic keratoses is decided upon, a doctor will either apply liquid nitrogen to the skin growth, scrape it off and apply a blood-clotting chemical, or anesthetize the area and burn it off.

Regardless of the situation, anyone with seborrheic keratoses can rest assured that these skin growths are not skin cancer; neither are they any kind of unusual health concern.