Skin keratosis is the condition that occurs when there is a production of bumps on the skin. These bumps may vary a lot in color mostly containing combinations of shades of white, yellow, red or brown. What causes skin keratosis is not defined but there are risk factors that have been put across that may be the most probable causes. Most forms of keratosis are caused by the excessive production of keratin which is the name that refers to dead skin cells. This overproduction also known as hyper-keratinization is usually triggered by several causal factors that have been identified.
One of the common causes of keratosis is over-exposure to sunlight. The ultraviolet spectrum of sunlight is the one mostly blamed for skin damage which eventually leads to skin keratosis. Another light-related cause of skin keratosis is photo therapy which involves exposure of the patients such as those with psoriasis to ultraviolet light. So far, only exposure to light has been emphasized but there are other causes of keratosis.
Keratosis has also been recorded to be prevalent to people with suppressed immune systems such as patients on certain medications. Organ transplant patients are also known to have high rates of keratosis and especially those that have undergone renal transplants.
Keratosis is known to affect over 40% of adults worldwide but over half of them do not realize that they have the condition. This is because some types of keratosis have very few symptoms and may exist without the victim knowing they are there. The types of keratosis that are hereditary are mostly the ones that go unnoticed because they are mild. They may also be confused by common skin conditions such as acne and other skin conditions.
Wide ranges of treatments are available for keratosis and are usually administered according to certain factors that relate to the patient or their preferences. Some forms do not have a cure and only cosmetic measures are taken to change their appearance. Keratosis is a relatively harmless condition but when it occurs in some forms, it can be dangerous.
One such occurrence is the actinic keratosis. It is the first totally identifiable stage for a skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma. This occurs when the keratosis becomes malignant. This type of cancer is not deadly and is not a cause for alarm. Skin keratosis treatments usually involve freezing, laser treatment, application of tropical creams and surgery as a last resort. It is not clear whether keratosis recurs after treatment but follow-up should be done by the doctors to monitor any sign of recurrence.
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