Keratosis – What Problems Do They Cause
The depleting ozone layer poses great concern to the human society. This means that the UV rays from the sun break into the earth’s surface and can damage the skin. Recently, there was a noted increase in the cases of skin problems and report shows that it already reached in global scale.
You may suffer skin problems occasionally. Most likely, you view them to be just minor skin irritations. But, are they really minor? Consider keratosis. It is the development of keratin on the skin and is classified in three types, namely the keratosis pilaris, actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis. Each type has its own distinct causes and considering them will surely help you to keep them from worsening.
With actinic keratosis, it is caused by extreme UV rays from the sun. It begins on the top layer of your skin called epidermis. This layer serves as your skin cells’ protective layer that your body sheds. UV radiation damages skin cells which are manifested by changes in your skin’s color and texture, thus causing lesions or bumps and blotchiness. Moreover, commercial tanning beds and lamps can damage the skin cells. The more you engage yourself in outdoors or in tanning booth, the greater you are susceptible of having skin cancer. These worsen when you spend outdoors under the intense sunlight.
On the other hand, the cause for seborrheic kerastosis is still unknown. They seem to be genetic as it was noted between several families. Though anyone is vulnerable of developing seborrheic keratosis, people with it running in their family history and who are over 50 years old are most likely develop this skin condition.
Lastly, keratosis pilaris is the result of keratin build up. Keratin is a solid protein that protects the skin against infection and harmful substances. These create a flaking plug that blocks the opening of hair follicle. These cause patches of bumpy, rough skin. Further, dry skin seems to worsen the condition. Until now, the build up of keratin remains unknown. But, its occurrence is associated with certain skin conditions or genetic diseases like atopic dermatitis or ichthyosis vulgaris. Even healthy people are not exempted of developing this condition.
Now that you already have an idea as to the causes of a particular type of keratosis, you can do your part of preventing them from advancing to more serious condition and ask medical advice on its treatment. Remember though, that the treatment is individualized, meaning what seems to be effective to your friend may not be as effective in your case.
