Understanding Actinic Keratosis -- Treatment
What Are the Treatments for Actinic Keratosis?
A number of treatments are available for actinic keratoses. They include:
- Cryosurgery. Liquid nitrogen "freezes" the surface skin, which causes some skin redness until the area is replaced by new skin. This is the most commonly used treatment for actinic keratoses.
- Surgical removal and biopsy. The lesion may be removed and examined if there is a possibility it has become cancerous.
- Chemotherapy. A topical anticancer agent called fluorouracil may be applied to remove the skin lesion. A red spot may remain for some time.
- Photodynamic therapy. A chemical is applied to the skin and after several hours exposed to a light that activates the chemical to destroy the abnormal skin cells.
- Chemical peel . A chemical solution is applied to the skin to cause blistering and peeling and to trigger new skin growth. Redness and swelling will likely occur.
- Immunomodular therapy with imiquimod cream works much like fluorouracil to selectively rid the skin of abnormal cells
Frostbite Treatment and Prevention: FAQ
When wintry weather settles in, how do you make sure that when Jack Frost nips at your nose you don’t end up with frostbite? Plan ahead to make sure you're prepared for the winter weather, emergency medicine specialist Thomas Tallman, DO, tells WebMD. Tallman has seen more than his share of cold-weather injuries as a staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic's Emergency Services Institute and as an on-call doctor at the football games of the Cleveland Browns. "When you're wet or exposed to high...
Read the Frostbite Treatment and Prevention: FAQ article > >
WebMD Medical Reference
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