Seborrheic Keratoses in Boston, MA

Seborrheic keratoses is a benign skin condition. Despite looking unattractive, it's not dangerous. It is presented as skin growths that vary in color, are typically oval-shaped, and are often raised to mimic a mole or wart. Seborrheic keratoses can grow anywhere on the body but typically appear on the shoulders, chest, or back. Seborrheic keratoses are not contagious and are most common in middle-aged adults. It's also common to have multiple skin growths at once. Size can vary from tiny to moderate. It is possible to have basal cell carcinoma and seborrheic keratoses in the same spot on your body. Dr. Vladyslava Doktor at Skin Center Boston offers men and women in the Framingham, Wellesley, Backbay, MA and surrounding areas a thorough skin exam and treatment options to reduce or eliminate the seborrheic keratoses.

What causes seborrheic keratoses is unknown. In most patients, redness might occur due to its raised nature, but generally, it does not itch or cause discomfort. Tight clothing may be linked to exacerbating the condition, as it causes friction and rubbing against the lesions. Puncturing, scratching, or scraping seborrheic keratoses may be painful and result in bleeding. Although it's normal to be slightly elevated, they may also be flush with the skin. The discoloration of seborrheic keratoses varies from white, tan, or yellow to brown or black. The texture of the skin lesions also ranges from tough to scaly or scab-like.

Make an appointment with dermatologist Dr. Doktor today to diagnose your seborrheic keratoses. Closely resembling melanoma in physical appearance, our experienced medical team can determine a diagnosis at our Boston, MA office and help you create a treatment plan. Skin Center Boston can help you relieve your anxiety and set you on track to gaining smoother skin and more confidence.

Seborrheic keratoses generally resemble a wart-like growth. They commonly grow on the face, chest, shoulders, or back. They can develop as just one lesion or as a cluster. Seborrheic keratoses:

• can vary from pale tan to black or brown
• are a round or oval shape
• look as if they've been glued on
• are flat or slightly raised with a flaky outside
• can be very small to more than one inch (2.5 centimeters) across
• might itch

Seborrheic keratoses aren't usually painful, but they can be annoying based on their size and location. Scratching, picking at, or rubbing them could cause swelling, bleeding, and in rare cases, infection.

Based on the severity of the skin condition, seborrheic keratoses can be removed by laser therapy, electric therapy, scraping, or freezing. Cryosurgery (freezing) can destroy lesions with liquid nitrogen and is often quite effective. Electric therapy (or electrocautery) attacks the lesions with electrical currents. Individuals with minor or flush growths are recommended to get the lesions eliminated through curettage or scraping. Following the removal of seborrheic keratoses, the skin might be oddly colored, but this generally fades over time, particularly with proper wound care. The removal of the skin growth does not guarantee that reoccurrence won't happen.