While it may be the opinion of doctors not to seek treatment for seborrheic keratosis, many people that suffer from the condition require that it be treated for purely cosmetic purposes. This is because of its effects on the confidence of the person even if doctors call it a harmless condition. There are many treatment options available including visiting a hospital for treatment and even do it yourself remedies.
The most common treatments that doctors will use for seborrheic keratosis are mostly non-surgical in nature. The choice of method to use depends largely on several factors or a combination of them including the height of the wart, the probability of recurrence and the patients’ preferences. One of the methods used by doctors includes cryotherapy. This is where the doctor uses extremely cold substances such as liquid nitrogen to literally freeze the wart. It eventually forms a scab and falls off leaving healthy skin. This method is not very effective if the keratosis has grown considerably thick and it may call for other treatments.
Curettage is the other treatment that doctors use for treating seborrheic keratosis. In this procedure, doctors make use of a curette which is a spoon-shaped piece of equipment to remove the keratosis. This is sometimes not a very effective treatment as recurrence of the keratosis is common when this method is used by itself. When the growth comes back after this procedure it can be repeated as many times as required. It is more effective to carry out this procedure in combination with others.
Electrocautery is another common treatment for seborrheic keratosis. It is also known as electrodessication and is most of the time used together with curettage. This method makes use of a needle that has a tip that gives a low voltage electrical charge. This burns off a growth leaving healthy skin after healing of the affected area. It is more effective while used in combination with other remedies.
Other forms of treatments used by doctors include surgery and laser treatment. Laser treatment involves a small beam of intense light that literally burns off the seborrheic keratosis. Surgery is also another treatment used to treat this type of keratosis. The growth is cut off with a scalpel after anesthetic is injected into the affected region.
There also exist other forms of treatment, some of which can be done without the need for a doctor. These methods of treating seborrheic keratosis involve using solutions of common chemicals like hydrogen peroxide or glycolic acid. There are some chemicals that also reduce the height of the growths like ammonium lactate. Another treatment is tezarotene cream 0.1% which is known to improve the condition in 7 out of 15 patients treated.
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