Histology of Seborrheic Keratosis

Seborrheic keratosis is a skin disorder characterized by ugly greasy and rough lesions that are easily irritated by friction. The lesions are growths on the skin that originate from keratinocytes. These lesions are mainly light tan but can get darker and assume the color black. These growths are of different shapes. Most are round or oval in shape. Seborrheic keratosis is noncancerous and therefore poses no health risk. It is also not contagious. It is rare in children but common in middle-aged people.

Seborrheic keratosis is mostly confused with actinic keratosis making it very necessary to have a dermatologist check for it. Actinic keratosis is premalignant and that is why you need to be sure whether you have seborrheic keratosis or actinic keratosis. Due to the well training that dermatologists receive, it is very easy for them to know seborrheic keratosis on sight – making tests and examinations unnecessary. However, your dermatologist can perform an examination to be extra sure that the skin disorder is indeed seborrheic keratosis. This is where histology of seborrheic keratosis comes in.

Histology is a study done for the microscopic anatomy of cells. This is usually done by examining a thin slice of tissue under a microscope. For better view and results, the tissue is usually stained by the use of histological stains. Histology of seborrheic keratosis is therefore a study of the microscopic anatomy of keratinocytes to certify whether the skin has been infected with seborrheic keratosis. This can be done by a light microscope but an electronic one is much better. The dermatologist also scrapes a small piece of your skin for the examination.

When histology is performed, seborrheic keratosis will be evident when there are proliferations of the keratinocytes noted and a clonal expansion is viewed. The broad sheets of small to medium cells are also seen to have been separated by horn cysts.

Seborrheic keratosis can be treated in many ways. Once you have had a histology exam and you confirm that indeed you have this skin disorder, do not panic. It does not lead to cancer and treatment is only necessary when you feel like the irritation is too much or you need to improve your skin for cosmetic reasons.

Finally, seborrheic keratosis does not require a histology exam to be certified so but you can do histology for seborrheic keratosis just to be surer and avoid confusing it with actinic keratosis.

Is Keratosis Contagious?

Keratosis is the result of the excess protein accumulation called keratin. The way in which it manifests relies on several factors like the kind of keratosis involved. Due to its extensive array of manifestations, it is typically misdiagnosed as moles, warts or worse, skin cancer. Several types though are harmless and do not require treatment while some are pre-cancerous and need medical attention. If that is the case, are they contagious? [continue reading…]

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Age Spots On The Face

Age spots do come as a result of aging. Aging is inevitable and so it is quite normal to have age spots at some time in your life. They are also known as liver spots though they have no connection to the liver but the sun, hence another alternative name sun spots. Age spots form in many ways. They can be as small as a freckle or as big as a centimeter in diameter. These spots also appear individually or as clusters and the colors range from black to different shades like light tan, brown and grey. The main cause of sun spots is a lot of exposure time to the sun and that is why they appear at old age. However, some young ones do get them.

Liver spots have a tendency of appearing in body parts exposed to the sun at most times. These parts include the shoulder, arms and face too. We will focus on age spots on the face.

Age spots on face are a big worry for those that really care about beauty and being attractive. It is not practical to hide your face and so, these spots have to be gotten rid of as fast as possible. Also ensure that you revive your even skin tone as you treat these age spots on your face.

Age spots on the face come as a result of many things. The prime reason is the sunlight. Age spots can also come due to genetics and malfunctioning of the liver. People with light skin are more prone to visible age spots as they have less melanin and when the sunlight causes the overproduction of melanin, these sun spots will be very visible as they are much darker.

There are many ways that you can use to treat and remove age spots on your face and revive that vibrant look you had before. There are remedies that you will get from your dermatologist while others are simply home remedies.

Home remedies for age spots are applying aloe vera gel and lemon juice on the affected parts. These will work after continued unfailing use of these home remedies. These spots are also removed medically with the use of facial age spots creams and laser treatments. The creams are mainly anti-aging and they will work well to your advantage.

Liver spots should not worry you so much but they can be precancerous. Please do check with your dermatologist.

Seborrhoeic Keratosis

Seborrhoeic keratosis is gradually becoming a skin condition that people are dealing with nowadays. Though it is not contagious, it has a genetic factor which explains why most people of age and below and below have the benign growth. This skin growth can grow on any part of the body, either in clusters or singly. They occur mostly on the face, chest or on the back and often look like they have been pasted onto the skin.

Seborrhoeic keratosis is hardly considered to be dangerous but have some problems associated with it. [continue reading…]

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Treatment For Actinic Keratosis

Actinic keratosis is considered to be the most common precancerous skin disease. This occurs all over the world, depending on the location and the type of skin the person has. Actinic keratosis develops in a lot of Caucasians because of their fair skin type. The rate is higher with men because they tend to spend a lot of time under the sun without any skin protection compared to women. [continue reading…]

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Melasma

Melasma is a skin condition where the skin discolors to black or tan. This skin conditions affects various body parts. It mostly affects the lips, forehead, cheeks and the nose. It is not cancerous and therefore causes no health hazard. Melasma is also referred to as chloasma or pregnancy mask and it appears on the skin as dark patches. The patches are also irregular in shape. This skin condition is more common in women who are pregnant or are on oral contraceptives. People who have taken anti-malarial drugs are also susceptible to chloasma. However, melasma affects just anyone. People with light skins and living in places that have intense sunlight are very susceptible to this skin condition too. [continue reading…]

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Causes Of Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation refers to any condition in which the skin forms dark patches or areas of the skin darken in contrast to the surrounding skin. Most people associate hyperpigmentation with exposure to the sun only but it has many causes and comes in many forms. [continue reading…]

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Pigmentation Of The Skin

Skin pigmentation can occur in many forms and because of very many reasons. This may probably involve red patches, birthmarks, or an abrupt fluctuation in skin pigmentation. Injuries, infections or a lack of balance in the pigmentation managing substance melanin may bring about skin discoloration.

Most skin disorders are a cosmetic concern as compared to medical issues and it is advisable to have your skin analyzed by a doctor to determine what the real root of the discoloration might be. It is also good to visit a doctor so that they may be able to determine that the problem is not a potentially dangerous or harmful condition such as vitamin deficiency. [continue reading…]

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Seborrheic Keratosis Removal

Seborrheic keratosis is benign skin growths that appear on the surface of the skin. Unlike most skin growths, it appears on the top layer of the skin barely stuck and causes itching sometimes. Since it is a benign skin growth, it is not necessary to remove them though people do so for cosmetic reasons.

Several methods and cream can help in seborrheic keratosis removal. Most of these methods have been tried and tested and considered to be very effective. [continue reading…]

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Remove Age Spots

Age spots are skin discolorations that normally occur on the neck, hands and face of persons 40 years old and above. Age spots are harmless and are usually brown or yellow in color. Although not a health concern, ages spots can be annoying as it is one of the visible signs of aging. Ages spots are also commonly called as lentigines, liver spots or sun spots.

The causes of age spots can be attributed to three things other than aging – constant exposure to the heat of the sun, nutritional deficiencies and damaged liver function. Other contributing factors of age spots are lack of exercise, poor diet and the excessive consumptions of oxidized oils.

There are certain precautions and home remedies that you can take in order to prevent the onslaught of age spots; such as:

Use Sunscreen

If you are planning to be out in the sun for long periods of time always apply sunscreen on your arms, face, neck and legs. Choose a sunscreen with SPF15 or higher to better protect your skin against ages spots. Using sunscreen is an effective preventive measure to deter the growth of age spots.

Laser Therapy

Undergoing laser therapy is one of the most effective ways to remove age spots. Although costly, several sessions of laser therapy destroys melanocytes which are the main cause of skin pigmentation. Laser therapy is a relatively safe, non-evasive medical procedure that most skin treatment facilities offer.

Chemical Peel

Chemical peel is another skin treatment to remove age spots. A special chemical is applied on the skin, destroying the damaged, age-spotted skin and allowing healthy skin to grow in place.

Other Treatments

There are various, additional methods to remove age spots such as the application of Retin-A, cryotherapy and dermabrasion. All of these methods destroy the old skin and encourage the growth of healthy skin.

Age Spots Prevention

Aside from using a sunscreen when spending time under the sun to prevent the premature occurrence of age spots there are other preventive methods that you can practice. One such preventive method is by wearing long sleeve shirts when out in the sun. Furthermore, during the summer months minimize the duration that your skin is directly exposed in the sun- this means that you should stay indoors as much as possible.

Histology of Seborrheic Keratosis