5 Things You Need to Know About Keratoacanthoma

1. Long Name for a Relatively Harmless Condition

Keratoacanthoma is a benign skin growth that on a pathological level resembles squamous cell carcinoma. The most common victims are elderly light-skinned people over 50 years of age. It is found in more males than females, with an overall incidence rate of one in every 1,000 individuals. Keratoacanthoma is a rapidly-growing type of lesion (reaching full size--approximately five cm--in about eight weeks). If left untreated, the growth will usually go away on its own (though the entire process of growth, dormancy and regression can take up to 12 months and leave a depressed scar).

2. The Face of Keratoacanthoma

Skin growths associated with keratoacanthoma commonly grow on the face, hands, torso and arms. They are volcano-like nodules that start out smooth and firm and, as they grow, develop keratin (a protein that is a component of skin, hair and nails) in the center. They can become red and crater-like, or the keratin center may become crusty and project out from the skin. In rare cases, the growths might multiply and mestasticize (any such complications of keratoacanthoma are mostly associated with Muir-Torre Syndrome, a cancerous condition that can cause skin lesions).

3. Paying for That Summer Tan

We have long been warned that overexposure to the sun is not healthy for our skin, and the development of keratoacanthoma is just more proof for that argument. The typical areas where these skin growths are found are on those parts of the body that are commonly exposed to the sun. Sites of past trauma, such as skin cancer, are more prone to develop keratoacanthoma. Industrial workers exposed to tar over a long period of time have shown a higher incidence rate of this condition. Complications arising from some types of human papilloma virus also increase the risk of keratoacanthoma.

4. Always Smart to Get Any Growth Checked Out

Though keratoacanthoma is a benign condition, is it always best to get any type of skin growth checked out by a physician. A doctor will take a biopsy of the growth by numbing the area and removing a small amount of tissue. Keratoacanthoma so closely resembles squamous cell carcinoma that even pathologists have difficulty making the distinction. Even if not cancerous, sometimes (though rarely) keratoacanthoma can spread below the skin, such as into lymph glands.

5. More Than One Treatment Option to Choose From

Once the diagnosis of keratoacanthoma is reached, there are several avenues of treatment you can explore. All of them involve removing the growth in some manner. Cryosurgery is freezing the growth with liquid nitrogen and removing it. The "scrape and burn" method (electrodesiccation and curettage), as the name implies, is scraping tissue from the numbed growth and then cauterizing the area. Surgical excision and stitches is another option. Most rarely, keratoacanthoma is treated with radiation therapy or injected corticosteroids.