Seborrheic keratoses are not painful but may itch, especially as you get older. Melanocytic nevus is the medical term for moles. A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails. While it may look like warts, seborrheic keratosis isn't caused by HPV and doesn't spread to others. The lesion freezes and falls off in a few. Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Milia-like cysts and comedo-like openings are not exclusively of SK. A doctor applies liquid nitrogen to the growth with a spray gun or cotton swab. Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, Dermatology, Medical Oncology, Melanoma and Onco-Dermatology, A common type of noncancerous skin tumor that resembles a wart, Symptoms include a raised, oval or round spot on the skin that may bleed or be itchy, Treatment includes cryotherapy, electrosurgery, curettage, laser treatment, dermabrasion. The seborrheic keratosis tends to fall off within days. (2017). The presence of comedo-like openings and milia-like cysts together with sharp lesion demarcation were reportedly helpful to diagnose clonal type SK; however, doubtful cases should be examined by RCM or histology.29. Melanoma should be excluded also when evaluating SKs located on the face. Are painless, but may become irritated and itchy. Following the first treatment, complete healing was detected in all of the lesions (100%) treated with Er:YAG lasers, the healing rate was 68% in the cryotherapy group (P <0.01). They are usually oval in shape and may be individual or clustered. Experts believe genes play a role, as these growths tend to run in families. In rare cases, however, a sudden onset of numerous seborrheic keratoses may be linked to underlying malignancy, such as cancer in the gastrointestinal tract, lymphoma, or leukemia. There are times that the bumps Seborrheic keratosis can come up on nay part of the skin. February 10, 2022 What Does Seborrheic Keratosis Look Like? (Figure 5) In the non-pigmented variety, the presence of polymorphous vessels that are glomerular, linear-irregular and dotted along with a white network have been reported. These growths are neither viral or bacterial and, therefore, cannot spread. 2014;53(11):1346-50. doi:10.1111/ijd.12086. Clinical, dermoscopy, RCM and histology of an acanthotic SK. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Seborrheic keratosis as we all know is a non-cancerous skin growth that looks like wart, moles, skin tags or skin cancer. But if their appearance bothers you, you can undergo a skin tag removal procedure. Other times, people choose to have them removed for cosmetic reasons. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non-invasive imaging technique that allows to visualize the skin in vivo at a level of resolution similar to conventional histology. Porto ACS, Blumetti TP, Macedo MP, Braga JCT. However, cosmetically, they can be concerning to some people. However, the skin growths themselves should not affect an individuals prognosis. Melanoma mimicking an irritated SK. %PDF-1.3 Seborrheic Keratosis > Fact Sheets > Yale Medicine Braun RP, Ludwig S, Marghoob AA. However, when a reliable diagnosis of regressing SK cannot be made with confidence, a biopsy is needed in order to avoid misdiagnosis of a completely regressed melanoma (Figure 8). Jackson JM, Alexis A, Berman B, Berson DS, Taylor S, Weiss JS. Number: Ranging from one to hundreds of lesions. Seborrheic keratosis is a type of benign (non-cancerous) skin tumor or growth. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and SK may coexist as collision tumors.24,25 However, BCC may clinically and dermoscopically resemble a SK and vice versa.26,27 A retrospective study on histologically confirmed BCCs of the lower limbs showed that they frequently simulate other benign or malignant lesions. Seborrheic keratoses are not cancerous but can share some features with malignant lesions. Have a slightly raised, flat surface. In these cases, the presence of the blue-black sign, pigment network, pseudopods or streaks, and/or blue-white veil, allows the correct diagnosis of most of the difficult melanoma cases.23. The most common texture is rough, with a bumpy, grainy surface that crumbles easily. Can a Changing Mole Be Benign or Is It Always Melanoma? Which is why seborrheic keratosisis also referred to as senile wart. Warts result from a virus, such as the human papillomavirus (HPV). A dermatologist may remove a seborrheic keratosis when it: If the growth looks like skin cancer, your dermatologist will likely shave off the growth with a blade or scrape it off. Seborrhoeic keratoses (brown warts, basal cell papillomas, seborrheic Most removed seborrheic keratoses do not return. Cryotherapy is the easier to perform and fast treatment, that can be used to safely remove multiple SKs at a same time. All text is copyright property of this site's authors. Sometimes it is permanent.