How can you cure keratoses?

Answer 1

Although there is no cure for actinic keratosis per say, there are a couple treatment options that can effectively minimize the symptoms:

• Cryosurgery - uses liquid nitrogen to freeze off the lesions. It is fast, has a high cure rate, and is well-tolerated by most people. There may be a very high brief period of stinging when the liquid nitrogen is first applied, but anesthesia is not required.
• Shave removal - a procedure during which a scalpel is used to remove the lesion and obtain a specimen for testing.
• Curettage - often used to remove hard, thickened actinic keratoses. In this procedure, a small, round, sharp instrument (called a curette) is used to scrape the actinic keratosis, either removing a piece of it for biopsy or removing the entire lesion.
• Lasers - deliver an intense light focused on the lesion, removing it along with the top layer of skin. The finely controlled nature of laser removal makes this a useful option for actinic keratoses on delicate skin, such as the lips (actinic chelitis), or in narrow, hard-to-reach places (such as behind the ears).
• Photodynamic therapy - involves an agent applied to the skin that makes the skin sensitive to light (usually applied by injection or topically). An intense light is then point in the area and the laser light destroys the damaged skin cells.
• Retinoids - is an oral drug (isotretinoin) is very effective in treating actinic keratosis. However it is only recommended in high risk cases because it has significantly high risk side effects.
• Creams and Ointments - destroy actinic keratosis cells by blocking essential reactions within them. Creams can be used as an actinic keratosis natural therapy for they support the skin's immune system and stimulate the body's own natural rejection of these precancerous cells.