Skin cancer is one of the largest strands of preventable, fatal diseases we know to exist. Gone are the days of ignorance where people thought frying themselves on the beach was a harmless pastime. However, the current increase in skin awareness is not translating into significant enough reductions in skin cancer. Actinic keratosis is part of this problem.

In order to circumvent the onset of skin cancer, we must learn to treat and prevent the preliminary stages of actinic keratosis, the skin condition that it spawns from. Part of the problem however, is that most people have never heard of this affliction. The following should assist in developing a better understanding of actinic keratosis, while offering vital information that can help eliminate it all together.

WHAT IS ACTINIC KERATOSIS?

If you are one of the many to have not heard of actinic keratosis, also called solar keratosis, it begins as a scaly or crusty bump that arises on the skin's surface. The lower part of the lesion may be light or dark, tan, pink, red, a combination of these, or the same color as your skin. Over time the lesion may itch, become inflamed or in extreme cases, bleed.

The lesion develops slowly and generally reaches the size of an eighth to a quarter of an inch, and they can breakout together in large numbers. Actinic keratosis is usually found on the face, ears, scalp, neck, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, and lips. Most predominately, parts of the body most often exposed to sunshine. It is not uncommon to also experience up to 10 times as many subclinical (invisible) lesions as visible, surface lesions.

WHY IS IT DANGEROUS?

Actinic keratosis is the first step in the development of skin cancer which is why it is so commonly referred to as a precancer. When left untreated, about two to five percent of these lesions may progress to squamous cell carcinomas and the greater the prevalence of keratosis, the larger the risk that one or more may turn into skin cancer.

HOW IT CAN BE PREVENTED

- Minimise your time in the sun, especially during the sun's peak hours

- Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and UV-blocking sunglasses

- Always use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher

- Inspect your skin from head to toe once every month.

- Have a professional skin examination annually

- Act swiftly on the discovery of any abnormalities and unusual inflammations

- Exfoliate dead skin cells and apply moisturizing cream every day

ALTERNATIVE SKIN CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

Due to the fact skin cancer can be formed from the dry, scaly inflammation patches experienced with actininc keratosis, taking care of your skin daily can be of great benefit. The regular application of an irritation-free moisturizer will alleviate any itchiness or irritation experienced. In addition, the daily application of a non-toxic exfoliate is an effective treatment for keratosis because the premalignant skin cells are broken away from the skin, stimulating the growth of new, healthy cells.