If you’ve noticed rough, scaly patches on your skin or suspect you may have Actinic Keratosis, don’t wait.
Contact Cryosonic Cardiff for a professional consultation. Our team is here to provide expert advice and effective treatment options to protect your skin and prevent further damage.
The risk factors for Actinic Keratosis (AK) mainly focus on sun exposure and skin type. Here are the key risk factors that can raise your chances of getting AK:
1. Excessive Sun Exposure
The biggest risk for AK is spending too much time in ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or tanning beds. UV light hurts skin cells over time, which can cause actinic keratosis. People who are outside a lot, especially in very sunny places, are at a greater risk.
2. Fair Skin
People with fair skin, like those with light skin, blond or red hair, and blue or green eyes, are at a higher risk for UV damage. Their skin has less melanin. Melanin is the pigment that helps protect skin from sun damage.
3. Older Age
AK is more common in people who are 50 years old and up. As we get older, our skin has a harder time healing from UV damage. This makes it more likely for someone to get actinic keratosis.
4. Weakened Immune System
People with a weak immune system, like those getting chemotherapy, using drugs that lower immunity, or those with HIV/AIDS, are more likely to get AK. A weaker immune system makes it tough for the body to fix damaged skin. This increases the chance of unusual cell growth.
5. History of Sunburns
Getting sunburned several times, especially as a child or teen, raises the chance of getting AK when you are older. Sunburns harm the skin’s DNA, which can lead to unusual growths.
6. Genetic Factors
Some people may have genes that make them more likely to get skin damage and unusual cell growth. A family history of actinic keratosis or skin cancer can also raise your risk.
How long does it take for actinic keratoses to become cancerous?
Actinic keratoses (AK) can take months to years to potentially develop into skin cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
However, only a small percentage of AK lesions progress to cancer. Early detection and treatment can prevent this progression.
Can I treat actinic keratosis at home?
It's not recommended to treat actinic keratosis at home. Professional treatments like cryotherapy, topical creams, or laser therapy are more effective and safer. Consulting a healthcare provider is important for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Actinic Keratosis (AK) may start as small, rough, scaly spots on the skin. Finding it early is very important for several main reasons:
1. Prevents Progression to Skin Cancer
One big reason to find Actinic Keratosis early is that it can turn into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a kind of skin cancer, if it does not get treated.
Most AK lesions do not turn into cancer, but a small number can change into cancer as time goes by. If you find AK early, you can stop it from becoming a more serious issue, like SCC. SCC is usually harder to treat.
2. Effective Treatment Options
When we find Actinic Keratosis early, treating it becomes easier and works better.
Cryotherapy, creams, laser therapy, and small surgery can all help treat AK when it first appears. If you don’t treat it, the spots may get worse. This makes treatment harder and more intrusive.
3. Reduces Risk of Scarring
Early intervention helps with softer, simpler treatments. This reduces the chance of lasting scars.
If we ignore AK lesions and let them grow or change, treatments might need to be stronger. This can lead to more visible scars or changes in skin color.
4. Prevents Further Sun Damage
Early detection of AK can also be a wake-up call for the patient. It reminds them to protect their skin from more UV damage.
Regular skin checks and early treatment can encourage people to practice better sun safety. This includes putting on sunscreen every day and staying out of the sun for long times. These steps can help stop skin harm and the growth of more AK spots.
5. Improves Prognosis
If found early, the outlook for Actinic Keratosis is very good. Most cases of AK respond well to treatment. This is especially true when they are noticed in the beginning stages.
However, the longer AK goes without being diagnosed and treated, the more it can turn into serious forms of skin cancer. These more serious cases need tougher and more intense treatments.
When it comes to Treatment Cardiff , many patients want to avoid excision or more invasive surgical methods — and understandably so. Fortunately, there’s a highly effective, non-invasive solution available: cryotherapy.
Cryotherapy, particularly using advanced tools like the CryoPen, offers a quick and targeted way to treat actinic keratosis without cutting, stitches, or prolonged downtime. The process involves applying a controlled burst of extremely cold liquid nitrogen directly to the lesion.
This freezes and destroys the abnormal skin cells, allowing healthy skin to regenerate in its place. The treatment is fast, usually completed within seconds per lesion, and typically causes only mild discomfort. Most patients experience a slight sting followed by redness or blistering, which heals over a week or two.
Cryotherapy is especially ideal for people who want to treat visible or multiple lesions in a single session, and it’s a preferred option for sensitive areas like the face, scalp, or hands. Unlike excision, cryotherapy does not leave large scars, making it a more cosmetic-friendly alternative.
At Cryosonic in Cardiff, we specialise in CryoPen cryotherapy, offering precise and safe Actinic Keratosis Treatment Cardiff with minimal disruption to your daily life.
If you’re looking to remove sun-damaged or pre-cancerous skin patches without the need for excision, cryotherapy may be the right choice for you.
To stop actinic keratosis from coming back, you need to protect your skin from the sun. UV rays cause this problem, so it is important to practice sun safety every day.
Use a broad sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every day. This is crucial even on cloudy days. Put it on again every two hours when you are outside. Wearing clothes that cover you, like wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, and long-sleeved shirts, can help shield delicate parts of your skin.
It’s smart to stay out of direct sunlight from 10 am to 4 pm. This is when the sun is the strongest. You should also avoid tanning beds. They can harm your skin just like UV rays do.
Check your skin regularly for any new or changing spots. This is important, especially if you have had actinic keratosis before. Going to a skin doctor often can help find and treat new growths early.
At Cryosonic, we use the CryoPen for Actinic Keratosis Treatment Cardiff. We also provide advice. This advice helps you take care of your skin and reduces the risk of it coming back.