What is AK? 

Actinic Keratosis

  • Actinic keratosis (AK) is a common precancerous condition of SCC that affects nearly 60 million individuals in the United States. The presence of AK is also considered a marker for increased risk of developing BCC.

  • Approximately 75,000 new cases of melanoma and nearly 2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

  • The development of non-melanoma skin cancers, squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] and basal cell carcinoma [BCC], has been linked to repeated exposure to sun radiation over many years, whereas melanoma is also linked to the severity of sunburn

How do dermatologist treat Actinic Keratosis

(also called Solar Keratosis):