Seborrheic keratosis is a common skin growth. It may seem worrisome because it can look like a wart, pre-cancerous skin growth (actinic keratosis), or skin cancer. Despite their appearance, seborrheic keratoses are harmless.
Most people get these growths when they are middle aged or older. Because they begin at a later age and can have a wart-like appearance, seborrheic keratoses are often called the “barnacles of aging.”
It’s possible to have just one of these growths, but most people develop several. Some growths may have a warty surface while others look like dabs of warm, brown candle wax on the skin.
A seborrheic keratosis typically doesn’t go away on its own, but treatment isn’t needed. You might choose to have it removed if it becomes irritated or bleeds, or if you don’t like how it looks or feels.
Seborrheic keratosis removal can be achieved with one or a combination of the following methods:
- Freezing the growth. Freezing a growth with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) can be an effective way to remove a seborrheic keratosis. It doesn’t always work on raised, thicker growths. This method carries the risk of permanent loss of pigment, especially on Black or brown skin.
- Scraping (curettage) or shaving the skin’s surface. First your doctor will numb the area and then use a scalpel blade to remove the growth. Sometimes shaving or scraping is used along with cryosurgery to treat thinner or flat growths.
- Burning with an electric current (electrocautery). First your doctor will numb the area and then destroy the growth with electrocautery. This method can be used alone or with scraping, especially when removing thicker growths.
