Seborrheic Keratosis

[stevewool]

No its nothing to do with Mary Poppins song " supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
I mentioned that i went to the doctors and he referred me to the Cancer clinic and after a few hours thinking the worst , i was seen and told there is nothing to worry about.
Well I received the letter to day stating what this was and its called Seborrheic Keratosis a harmless skin growth thats bears a resemblance to cancer.
It is always a worry when something appears or changes in appearance and sometimes we think if i cant see it ,its not there, but after going to the doctors and sorting this out all is well.

[Arthur Little]

... I have never actually heard of Seborrheic Karatosis, Steve ... but, it's a BIG relief to know that - whatever it is - it seems to be a harmless condition!

[Doc Alan]

Very sensible of Steve to visit your doctor and hospital specialist with a skin lesion which worried you and thankfully was shown to be benign / not cancer .


This type of lesion is also known as a seborrhoeic wart or basal cell papilloma. They are in fact nothing to do with sebaceous ( oil-producing ) glands or viral warts.


They are very common, harmless and often pigmented ( usually brown, or black ), growths on the skin. About a third of the UK population may have at least one by the age of 40, increasing in numbers with age, but they can occur in young adults. They are less frequent in people with dark skin.


We don’t fully understand the cause, although sunlight may play a role. They are equally common in males and females. The trunk and face are most commonly affected.


The lesions look like warts which are " stuck " on the skin, and may be tiny ( 1mm ) to several cm in size ( see pictures in this link ).


They can be worrying especially if they change, such as becoming inflamed or bleed. It may be wise then to have a doctor examine them, to rule out skin cancer / malignant melanoma.


They are in fact so common it would be impossible to routinely treat every single such lesion. Most need NO treatment. They can be frozen ( cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen ), scraped off ( curettage ) or removed ( excised, leaving a scar ) under local anaesthetic.


If there is clinical doubt and the lesion is curetted or removed, it is sent for microscopic diagnosis by a medical pathologist ( my specialty ). About a fifth of my workload was examining skin biopsies, most of which - but not all - proved non-cancerous.


The British Association of Dermatologists gives sensible advice ( approved by patients ) - see link here.

[stevewool]

Thank you Alan, that's just what the doctor said too.

[Doc Alan]

Thank you Alan, that's just what the doctor said too.

I'm glad to know that, Steve !

Thanks to you, at least members reading your thread will be aware of this common condition, which ( like many other skin ailments ) unfortunately has a rather long name .

[stevewool]

I'm glad to know that, Steve !

Thanks to you, at least members reading your thread will be aware of this common condition, which ( like many other skin ailments ) unfortunately has a rather long name .

Thank you again Alan. I do try my best to keep everyone informed on my aliments and everyday life, and I am sure everyone reads them but alas not many reply. I like to call it being nosy, but if I can help someone along the way it's all worth it.