Seborrheic keratosis

Diagnosis

Usually, your doctor can diagnose seborrheic keratosis based only on a visual inspection of the affected skin. Your doctor may advise removing the growth so that it may be inspected under a microscope if there is any doubt about the diagnosis.

Treatment

Treatment is not necessary, but a seborrheic keratosis usually does not go away on its own. If it starts to hurt or bleed, or if you just don’t like the way it looks or feels, you may decide to get it removed.

The following techniques, either alone or in combination, can be used to remove seborrheic keratosis:

• Electrocautery. Your doctor will use electrocautery to eliminate the growth using an electric current after first numbing the region. You can use this technique alone or in conjunction with scraping, particularly for larger growth removal.
• Cryotherapy. This technique freezes a growth with liquid nitrogen, is a viable method for eliminating a seborrheic keratosis. It is not usually effective on thicker, elevated growths. The use of this approach may result in a permanent loss of pigment, particularly in the case of brown or black skin.
• Scraping (curettage) or shaving the skin’s surface. Your doctor will numb the region before removing the growth with a scalpel blade. Cryosurgery is sometimes combined with shaving or scraping to treat flatter or thinner growths.

Consult your doctor about the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Certain procedures may leave scars and permanent or transient skin discoloration. You may have a new seborrheic dermatosis elsewhere on your body after treatment.