Actinic keratosis or solar keratosis is a scaly or crusty bump occurring on the skins surface.  Colors may be light or dark, tan, pink, red, or multi-colored.  Most likely to appear on the face, ears, scalp, neck, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, and lips, actinic keratoses predominately occur on sun exposed areas.

Actinic keratosis can be the first step in the development of skin cancer and is therefore a precursor to skin cancer.  People with significant sun exposure history or have fair skin, blonde or red hair, blue, green or gray eyes are at greatest risk.   Older people are often more affected because of the cumulative effect of sun exposure. 

If treated early, actinic keratosis can be eliminated without difficulty.  Treatment options include cryosurgery, topical medications, chemical peeling agents, light therapy, laser surgery as well as others.

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If you notice the development of a skin growth, open sore or lesion that fails to heal, or a change in a preexisting skin growth, contact a qualified healthcare professional immediately.  With an early diagnosis, often, all that is needed is a simple surgical procedure to obtain a cure.