Today, not many people know that the diseases they suffer from can all be prevented with simple adjustments to their lifestyles, this can also be said of most skin conditions such as keratosis. What people don’t know is that most of the skin problems they have today are as a result of too much exposure to the sun. It is now known that it is not only heat rays that reach the earth from the sun. Other rays known as Ultra Violet rays are also emitted but they are very harmful. The ozone layer is there to protect the earth from such rays and filter these rays from reaching the earth. However, this layer is no longer able to function fully because of the harmful gases being released into the atmosphere daily, it has been eroded away and as a result these UV rays can now penetrate full swing.
Of the many skin conditions that exist today, actinic keratosis is one of them. Its characteristics include rough scaly skin, dry patches and red colored lesions. This condition develops slowly and you may not know it is happening until it’s too late. This is as a result of extreme exposure to the sun for an extended period of time, time in which you didn’t use any form of protection. The color of these spots may vary from the color of your skin tone to red or tan or brown. The largest size of such a spot is similar to that of a quarter while the smallest size can be compared to the tip of a pencil. Sometimes these patches can grow to resemble a horn like structure which is a type of actinic keratosis known as cutaneous keratosis.
It cannot be stressed upon enough the importance of anyone having actinic keratosis to be under regular doctor’s care. This is because this type of skin condition can easily cause cancer to form. One form of cancer that starts out as a simple case of actinic keratosis is squamous carcinoma and it is extremely dangerous. Another form of skin cancer which is considered to be the most lethal is melanoma. This cancer is very dangerous in that once it forms it is easy for it to spread to other organs and infect them as well.
If you have actinic keratosis, it means that you have been exposing yourself too much to the sun’s rays without wearing or applying anything protective.