Actinic Keratosis has been confused with

Actinic Keratosis has been confused with psoriasis because of the similarities in the outward appearance on your pores and skin. Both conditions are marked by dried up, flaky, raised, scaly, rough, purple skin. Of course, not all those signs and symptoms need be present, but very often most of them are. As you know, psoriasis is the result of a defect with your immune system. Therefore it is classified as an auto-immune disorder, whereby your body turns against on its own. On the other hand, actinic keratosis is the most popular precancerous condition of your skin. If kept untreated, it can develop into squamous cellular carcinoma which is the second most common form of skin cancer behind basal cell carcinoma.

While there is no way to avoid psoriasis, it is entirely possible to avoid actinic keratosis. That is because the former is probably in your genes and out of your control while the latter will be self-inflicted! By that I mean it does not take result of long-term exposure to ultraviolet light source commonly found Dorsey Family Dental in sunlight. People who job outdoors and those who enjoy much time in the sun need to always be aware of using skin protection. Fair skinned people are even more susceptible to the damaging rays of the sun. As such, they need to apply a quality sunshine screen as well as re-applying it after spending much time in the sun.

The actual color looks of the lesions in patients having actinic keratosis is not only limited to a red color. The lesions which are often noticed before they can be seen, may also show up pink or grey. Some people say they have sun spots or age spots, but the bottom line is that these locations, if left untreated can become unsafe which can be avoided in the first place if you use some caution before going outdoors.

The treatment selections for psoriasis consists mainly of creams, creams, lotions, some internal medicine, photo therapy and the newest class of medications called immuno-modulators which operate to calm down the immune system. Treatment meant for actinic keratosis utilizes several of a similar modalities as does psoriasis but the genuine medications are often different. Physicians apply cryosurgery, photo-dynamic therapy and topical cream medications that are more aggressive than is usually used in psoriasis. The three most favored agents are imiquimod, diclofenec together with fluorouracil.

The use of any agent within the skin for long periods of time can bring about an entire new set of problems such as negative effects and other allergic dermatology reactions. Therefore, the goal of any therapy is to make sure that the positive benefits outweigh any potential unwanted effects. Fortunately, actinic keratosis can usually be avoided in the first place. Just be sure to stick to the age-old pense when going outside: "an ounces of prevention is worth a lb of cure".