Does Seborrheic Keratosis Have The Capacity To Lead To Skin Cancer?

Have you ever had skin lesions? Did you ever worry about what this lesion might be? Did you ever contemplate that instead of being a rash or insect bite, it might eventually develop to a more threatening disease such as skin cancer? Well, instead of just sitting and worrying, start doing something about it. Since you already have the proof on your skin, you can now just flip the pages of some books or browse through thousands of sites in the internet But if a trustworthy medical book or internet source says it is already a symptom of a far more threatening disease, consult a doctor at once.

Now, we will talk about one type of skin lesion – seborrheic keratosis. The term keratosis comes from its root word keratin – an inherent protein in the skin – which has the capacity to overgrow. It usually varies from yellow, to brown and to black, in color. You can find its lesions to be either flat or raised above the surface of the skin – which is the case most of the time. Its size also varies from extremely to small up to an inch in diameter. In structure, it is mostly rounded or oblong-shaped. It often appears like a wart but is very dissimilar from it. Although it may appear as a single lesion, this type of keratosis usually comes in multiple growths. The front or the posterior thorax is the usual location where this is found but it is not limited to the thorax. But if someone asks what makes this lesion stand out, the answer is its glistening or oily appearance. Lastly, seborrheic keratosis is painless. But if you haphazardly do something to irritate this lesion, it can be blistered causing redness, warmth, swelling, tenderness and even bleeding and change in the color of the lesion. Therefore, there is really nothing crucial about seborrheic keratosis, or is there?

I think most of you maybe thought, “Isn’t this a type of skin cancer?”  It is as of yet the type of cancer. One out of eight Americans gets skin cancer. But you will be glad to know that it is easily discovered because physical examination of the skin can be done easily. As a result, any skin abnormality receives the appropriate treatment right away. Based on the types of cells they affect, there are three types of skin cancer. The first is basal cell carcinoma (BCC) which is the most common skin cancer. Even though malignant, basal cell carcinoma grows very slowly and does not always metastasize. A minisule, crystal nodule presents at first. Eventually, it undergoes central ulceration as it grows further. Following basal cell carcinoma in incidence is the squamous cell carcinoma. In contrast, this has a more rapid growth, undergoes metastasis, has a firmer consistency and redder in color. Lastly, malignant melanoma is the most lethal type. Its characteristics can be described using the mnemonic ABCDE. It is asymmetric, its borders are irregular, its color varies, its diameter is greater than 6 millimeters and it is elevated.