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Treatment

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The indication for treatment of seborrhoeic keratosis is patient concern over irritation or cosmesis. Infrequently, lesions may be removed to confirm the diagnosis or benign nature of a clinical change.

Treatment modalities include:

  • surgical excision: the recommended route if the features are not entirely suggestive of classical seborrhoeic keratosis
  • curettage
  • cryotherapy: may be associated with subsequent changes in pigmentation and it is not effective in the treatment of very thick lesions (1)
  • laser therapy, - YAG laser, pulsed carbon dioxide laser, or 532 diode laser, but these options may involve more patient discomfort and recovery time (2)
  • topical trichloroacetic acid (3)

The application of topical retinoic acid (tretinoin) has also demonstrated good clinical results (3)

Reference:

  1. Motley RJ. Seborrheic keratosis. In: Lebwohl MG, Heymann WR, Berth-Jones J, et al, eds. Treatment of skin disease. Comprehensive therapeutic strategies. London: Mosby; 2006:609-610.
  2. Polder KD, Landau JM, Vergilis-Kalner IJ, et al. Laser eradication of pigmented lesions: a review. Dermatol Surg. 2011;37:572-595.
  3. Ortonne JP, Pandya AG, Lui H, et al. Treatment of solar lentigines. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54(suppl 2):S262-S271.

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The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

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