The word actinic comes from the Greek word “actis” and “actions” which mean rays of radiant energy. The sun causes many different changes and damage in the skin, one of those is known as actinic keratosis or solar keratosis.
Keratosis is the build-up of keratin on the skin and can be due to many causes, however, the most common cause is over-exposure of skin areas to the sun. And these areas usually become sore and inflamed.
It is a very common sun-induced skin disorder characterized by dry scaly, rough-textured areas that appear on the outer layer of the skin. A predisposition for solar keratosis is also a genetic disease. These patches of damaged skin or skin lesions are caused by overexposure to the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays.
The little lesions on the skin are characterized by a small raised crusty bump that ranges from the size of a pinhead and can grow up to an inch or two. They are of significantly different skin color to the nonaffected skin and range from being light and dark pink to red, light and dark brown, or a combination of all of these.
The scaly bumps can become hornlike in shape and are most commonly recognized by touch rather than by sight. It is occasionally itchy as well as slightly tingly with a slight stinging sensation. All these characteristics are heightened and become much more obvious after being exposed to the sun.
Actinic keratosis primarily appears in the areas that are most frequently in direct contact with the sun’s UV rays. The main areas where it appears are on the face, ears, a bald scalp, neck, backs of the hands and arms, and the lips. In some cases, it has been known to appear on the buttocks and thighs.
Lesions on the lips are known as Actinic cheilitis (it is also the most aggressive form) characterized by a white scaling and thickening of the lips in affected areas. On the head and neck, the small lesions are usually flat, while on the arms and hands they are elevated. So if one stays away from the sun it is possible for the skin to heal itself gradually and get rid of the keratosis build-up.
Anyone that has actinic keratosis has received serious skin damage caused by nothing less than the harsh UV rays of the sun, which obviously makes the sufferer more susceptible to other sun-related skin diseases and can ultimately end up in skin cancer.
Sun damage is accumulated in the skin over a long period of time. Most of the damaging sun exposure that a human receives happens before reaching eighteen years of age. However, it is a lifetime of sun exposure that causes sun-related skin diseases and not that last tanning session or vacation at the seaside or that ski trip in the mountains. With the constant thinning of the ozone layer the dangerous UV rays are in much more closer contact with the earth and this, therefore, includes all of us roaming around doing simple daily tasks.
Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned people are at the highest risk of any skin damage. However, redheads and people with lighter colored eyes (gray, green, and blue) are at greater risk too; this is because they have less protective pigmentation and are most affected by sunburn. This does not mean that people that have darker skin, hair, and eyes cannot develop keratosis; they most definitely can especially if they are exposed often enough to the sun without sufficient protection.
People who also suffer from the immunosuppressants such as chemotherapy, AIDS, or organ transplantation are also at great risk of suffering actinic keratosis. What happens is that while the body is healthy the lesions are kept at bay; as soon as the body becomes ill and weak, these keratosis build-ups can become malignant.
Another interesting fact is that: Actinic Keratosis (AK) generally appears after the age of 40, since it takes a lot of accumulated sun damage. Although it is not solely limited to adults; teens can also suffer from Actinic Keratosis, especially if they live in areas that receive high-intensity sunlight throughout the year.
