Actinic Keratoses (Solar Keratoses)

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Serving Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby and surrounding areas
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Actinic Keratoses:

Are small rough spots about 1 mm to 5 mm in diameter
Are usually present on sun exposed areas such as the:
- Ears
- Nose
- Face
- Tops of the hands
- Forearms
Are sometimes much easier to feel than to see
Are caused by sun exposure that occurred 10 to 70 years before the spots appeared
Are not skin cancer, but may develop into a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma, if left untreated
Do not develop into melanoma

Prevention of actinic keratoses, and other skin cancers:

Wear a hat with a broad brim and protective clothing (e.g. long sleeves)
Avoid the outdoors when the sun is strongest between the hours of 10 am to 3 pm
Use a sunscreen year round
Wear a sunscreen which resists water and sweating and which protects against both UVA and UVB
Reapply sunscreen every hour if you are in water or sweating heavily
Wear sunscreen even if you are in the shade, it is still possible to burn
Avoid tanning beds
- The ultraviolet light from tanning beds in known to cause skin cancer

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Liquid Nitrogen:

Is a cold freezing spray that is applied in the office
Causes the spots to become red, swollen and crusted
- The spots will heal within 7 to 14 days
You can bathe or shower normally
The treated areas do not need to be covered by bandages

Prescription Creams :

A variety of creams are available
Please talk to your doctor about your options

Levulan Photodynamic Therapy (ALA PDT):

This treatment combines a medication called Levulan with either
- Blue Light or
- IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatments
Levulan PDT may be used to treat pre-cancerous sun spots or acne

What are the advantages of Levulan PDT compared with other treatments?:

Unlike creams it has the advantage of being able to treat large areas in a single visit
Unlike liquid nitrogen, the treatment is not painful
It treats precancerous spots before they can be seen
- Preventing skin cancer from developing

Levulan-IPL Photodynamic Therapy

Non-invasive and effective
Used to treat acne, actinic keratoses (prec-cancerous sun spots) as well as sun-damaged skin
Acts by killing acne causing bacteria, overactive oil glands and premalignant skin cells and precancers

Almost any area can be treated including:
- Face and neck
- Arms and hands
- Feet and legs
- Chest and back
- Scalp

The Levulan-IPL PDT treatment works with most skin types (I-IV) (from pale Caucasian to dark European and very light Asian)

Levulan-IPL PDT cannot be used for darker skin types (V, VI) (South Asian, African) or if you have a tan
- In this situation I recommend Blue Light PDT instead, which:
  - Can be used in all skin types
  - Can be used even if the skin is tanned
  - To learn more about Blue Light PDT, please click here

As an added bonus, Levulan PDT also treats:
- Brown freckling
- Enlarged pores
- Sun damage
- Depleted skin collagen

All of these lead to smoother, younger looking skin and reduced redness at the same time

The cost of Levulan PDT is partially covered on most private drug insurance plans
The cost of Levulan PDT is not covered on the Ontario ODSP (OHIP) drug plan for patients over 65 years of age

If you would like to learn more about Levulan PDT for the treatment of actinic keratoses and skin cancer prevention, please click here

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Cherry Hemangioma – Eye Brow
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