Skin cancer is a growing concern and widespread condition worldwide. With early detection and treatment the vast majority of skin cancers are curable with surgery alone. It is believed that practicing sun avoidance and sun protection over one's lifetime can prevent many skin cancers from ever developing.
Factors that influence choice of therapies:
Mild or severe disease
Site of the keratoses
Extent of the keratoses
Density of the keratoses
Patient immuno-suppression
Medical conditions existing with keratoses
Patient pain tolerance
Cosmetic considerations
Presence of carcinomas
How does one treat these lesions?
At Skin Renewal we offer the following in office therapies. As each patient's case is different; we will tailor a treatment program specifically for you and your circumstances. A highly professional team led by a medical doctor assesses every patient and an appropriate treatment together with long term maintenance program is recommended dependant on expectations, budget, time and medical conditions.
Cryotherapy (Histofreeze) remains the current standard technique for isolated AKs. A freeze- thaw time of longer than 10 seconds but less than 15 seconds produces the best results. A downside of this therapy is the hypopigmentation present in 29 % of patients treated with longer freeze-thaw times.
Chemical peels. TCA is the most commonly used option, however this can only be done in light skin types. The more aggressive the chemical peel, the more improvement one can expect. This improvement should last for 2 to 3 years. An added benefit is pigmentation improvement and skin rejuvenation.
Facial resurfacing: full facial resurfacing with an ablative energy based device or Laser such as the Pearl Laser, Pearl Fractional, CO2 Fractional, Endymed FSR or Fraxel DUAL should be considered in patients with severe sun damage who have a significant number of AKs and who have had multiple excisions for skin tumours.
Pixel Peels – Superficial Micro-needling followed immediately with a superficial chemical peel (this is a safer option for darker skin types who cannot have the aggressive TCA treatments).
