Seborrheic keratosis

Seborrheic keratosis

A seborrheic keratosis is a non-cancerous benign skin growth that originate in keratinocytes and like liver spots, are seen more often as people age. [http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/skin_care/hic_moles_freckles_skin_tags_benign_lentigines_and_seborrheic_keratoses.aspx Moles, Freckles, Skin Tags, Benign Lentigines, and Seborrheic Keratoses] from the Cleveland Clinic website] They appear in various colors, from light tan to black, are round or oval-shaped, feel flat or slightly-elevated (like the scab from a healing wound), and range in size from very small to more than convert|2.5|cm|in|sigfig=1 across. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seborrheic-keratosis/DS00846/DSECTION=symptoms Seborrheic keratosis: Symptoms] , from the Mayo Clinic website] They can resemble warts, though they have no viral origins. Because only the top layers of the epidermis are involved, seborrheic keratoses are often described as having a "pasted-on" appearance.

Treatment

When correctly diagnosed, no treatment is necessary. There is a small risk of localized infection caused by picking at the lesion. If a growth becomes excessively itchy, or if it is irritated by clothing or jewelry, cryosurgery has been found to be highly effective in their removal.

Causes

Its cause is unclear; Because they are common on sun-exposed areas, such as the back, arms, face and neck, ultraviolet light might play a role, as may genetics. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seborrheic-keratosis/DS00846/DSECTION=causes Seborrheic keratosis: Causes] , from the Mayo Clinic website] A mutation of a gene coding for a growth factor receptor (FGFR3), has been associated with seborrheic keratosis.cite journal |author=Hafner C, Hartmann A, Vogt T |title=FGFR3 mutations in epidermal nevi and seborrheic keratoses: lessons from urothelium and skin |journal=J. Invest. Dermatol. |volume=127 |issue=7 |pages=1572–3 |year=2007 |pmid=17568799 |doi=10.1038/sj.jid.5700772]

Etymology

The term "seborrheic keratosis" combines the adjective form of seborrhea [ [http://medical.merriam-webster.com/medical/seborrheic Seborrheic] , from Merriam-Webster's online medical dictionary] , keratinocyte (referring to the part of the epidermis that produces keratin), and the suffix -osis, meaning abnormal. [ [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-osis Suffix "-osis"] from the Merriam-Webster website]

References

External links

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  • Seborrheic keratosis — A benign skin lesion resulting from excessive growth of the top layer of skin cells. It usually is found in persons over 30 years old and may be few or numerous. Although seborrheic keratoses may be confused with warts, they are quite different.… …   Medical dictionary

  • seborrheic keratosis — noun a skin condition characterized by circumscribed wartlike lesions that can be itchy and covered with a greasy crust • Hypernyms: ↑keratosis …   Useful english dictionary

  • Common seborrheic keratosis — (also known as Basal cell papilloma, and Solid seborrheic keratosis ) is a common benign cutaneous condition characterized by a skin lesion with a dull or lackluster surface.[1]:769 See also Seborrheic keratosis References ^ Freedberg, et al.… …   Wikipedia

  • Clonal seborrheic keratosis — is a common benign cutaneous condition characterized by a skin lesion with a dull or lackluster surface, and with round, loosely packed nests of cells seen histologically.[1]:769 See also Seborrheic keratosis References ^ Freedberg, et al. (2003) …   Wikipedia

  • seborrheic wart — seborrheic keratosis …   Medical dictionary

  • Keratosis pilaris — Classification and external resources Keratosis pilaris rubra on a right upper arm. ICD 9 …   Wikipedia

  • Keratosis — A localized overgrowth of the upper layer of skin. Common forms of keratosis include aging (senile keratosis) and sun exposure (actinic keratosis). * * * Any lesion on the epidermis marked by the presence of circumscribed overgrowths of the horny …   Medical dictionary

  • Keratosis — Infobox Disease Name = PAGENAME Caption = DiseasesDB = ICD10 = ICD9 = ICDO = OMIM = MedlinePlus = eMedicineSubj = eMedicineTopic = MeshID = D007642 Keratosis is a growth of keratin on the skin. More specifically, it can refer to: * actinic… …   Wikipedia

  • keratosis — keratosic, keratotic /ker euh tot ik/, adj. /ker euh toh sis/, n., pl. keratoses / seez/. Pathol. 1. any skin disease characterized by a horny growth, as a wart. 2. any horny growth. Also, keratoma. [1880 85; KERAT + OSIS] * * * ▪ …   Universalium

  • keratosis — noun a skin condition marked by an overgrowth of layers of horny skin • Hypernyms: ↑skin disease, ↑disease of the skin, ↑skin disorder • Hyponyms: ↑wart, ↑verruca, ↑actinic keratosis, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

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