A solar keratosis is a small, rough, bump which develops on the skin. It is caused by continuous exposure to sun. Treatment is usually advised as there is a small risk that it may eventually turn into skin cancer.

Freezing a solar keratosis with liquid nitrogen is the common treatment. Cutting out or scrapping off the solar keratosis are other options. Although not all solar keratosis progress into a melanoma, if you have SK then your risk of developing a melanoma at some other part of your skin is increased.

People with fair skin who do not tan easily are most commonly affected. Because their skin has less protective pigment, they are the most susceptible to sunburn and other forms of sun damage. The more serious type of skin cancer, melanoma, most commonly occurs in people who have had a lot of sun exposure.

So, tell a doctor soon if you notice any changes in any part of your skin such as new moles, small dark patches developing, etc. There are other spots, called seborrheic keratoses, that are not caused by sun exposure and have no relationship to skin cancers. Because their growth is often hard to predict,many skin specialists think it is safest to consider them as a form of squamous cell skin cancer.

Treatment is usually advised if you have more than one solar keratosis. Doctors can usually diagnose an actinic keratosis just by examining it. For instance, for every 100 cases of solar keratosis, 50 per cent will get better in a few years, and 50 per cent will stay the same or get worse. SK is caused by continuous exposure to sun and changes the size, shape, structure and organisation of our skin cells.

Cancers that develop from melanocytes, the pigment-making cells of the skin, are called melanomas. This is not the most serious form of skin cancer. If you spend much time in the sun you have an increased risk of developing solar keratoses, certain types of skin cancer and various other skin problems.

The vast majority of these cancers develop in areas of severe sun damage, particularly within or contiguous to areas of solar keratoses, but it has not been possible thus far to predict who will develop these potentially dangerous skin cancers.

So, although solar keratosis does not always progress into a melanoma, if you have SK then your risk of developing a melanoma at some other part of your skin is increased. The natural cure for SK is crocodile oil, this has been used for centuries for many skin problems. Many sufferers hav testified that they no longer have to have their SK burnt off as their skin has healed naturally with this balm.