Nearly 4 million individuals make doctor's visits every year for the treatment of skin lesions, particularly for actinic keratoses – lesions that are especially sensitive to ultraviolet light.

According to a new study published in the Archives of Dermatology , approximately 331 of every 100,000 of these types of keratoses develop into skin cancer. Worse still, as many as 25 percent of patients with multiple actinic keratoses will develop a disfiguring type of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.

Patients with possible precancerous lesions typically receive liquid nitrogen treatments, which involve freezing the lesions with liquid nitrogen. Now, however, patients may have a new, equally, if not more, effective treatment option.

Stanford Study

Researchers at the Stanford University Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System evaluated the effectiveness of skin resurfacing treatments in treating actinic keratoses.

Specifically, researchers looked at 24 patients with a history of such lesions or carcinoma and an average age of 73. Each patient was treated with a chemical peel, a carbon dioxide laser, or a fluorouracil cream.

Patients were examined every three months over the course of at least 24 months. However, after only three months, patients in each of the three treatment groups experienced significantly decreased keratoses.

Promising Results

Those who received laser treatments saw a 92 percent reduction in keratoses compared with 83 percent of those who were treated with the cream and 89 percent with the acid peel.

Also, compared with the control group, the patients also had a lower risk of developing melanoma – the most deadly of all skin cancers. Further, none of the patients experienced adverse side effects as a result any of the three alternative treatments.

Considering cosmetic treatments for skin lesions? Please contact us to learn more about these and other treatment options.