What is a seborrheic keratosis?
- Seborrheic keratoses (SKs) are very common skin growths in older adults. They are brown, black, or light tan. They can be very small or as large as one inch in diameter. They are slightly elevated and can look waxy or scaly. Though unattractive, seborrheic keratoses are non-cancerous.
- Human skin is adept at developing growths and lesions. One common condition as we age are dark colored, waxy looking raised facial growths. Often these are seborrheic keratoses (singular is seborrheic keratosis). Although they’re not dangerous, many patients want a precise cosmetic surgeon like Dr. Chandler to remove seborrheic keratoses.
What causes seborrheic keratoses to form?
Seborrheic keratoses are usually growths that come with age. It’s not fully understood why they form. Development of these growths tends to run in families, so there is likely a genetic tendency.
They usually form on the face, hairline, chest, shoulders, or back, but they can form anywhere on the body except the soles of the feet and the mucous membranes. Dr. Chandler sees many patients for facial seborrheic keratoses.
How are SKs removed?
Because they are not dangerous, SKs don’t need to be treated. The problem is they often show up in unappealing areas, especially if on the face or neck. People want these SKs removed by an experienced plastic surgeon since they want as minimal scarring as possible. Treatments like freezing or curettage are likely to leave very poor results on the face.
Dr. Chandler has extensive experience having removed thousands of eyelid, face, neck, scalp and ear growths — including seborrheic keratoses.
Do you have a mole for removal that sounds like a seborrheic keratosis and is on your face or neck? Call Dr. Chandler at (609) 877-2800 for our Moorestown (Cherry Hill), NJ office or (215) 885-6830 for Jenkintown (Philadelphia), PA to make an appointment to have treatment for mole removal with an expert facial plastic surgeon.
