Related articles: Keratosis
Definition
Keratosis is a pathological alteration of the skin, caused by a disorder of keratinization processes and characterized by thickening of the stratum corneum.
This lesion appears as a patch detected with respect to the surrounding skin, often irregular, of a brownish-gray color. Sometimes, the keratosis takes on a warty appearance, with a desquamated surface and red edges. The condition can be isolated and limited, or multiple and spread to large areas of the skin.
Keratosis may depend on several causes. Among the various factors that favor its onset are the excessive exposure to solar radiation (actinic keratosis) and the process of skin aging (senile keratosis).
Actinic keratoses may constitute, in particular, the starting point of malignant tumors of the skin (spinocellular carcinomas); their location favors all areas of the body that have been exposed to ultraviolet rays over the years: face, hands, shoulders, back and décolleté.
Keratosis can also result from prolonged administration of arsenical drugs and exposure to X-rays, while in other cases it is secondary to cutaneous mycoses and eczema.
In some cases, keratotic lesions can constitute a congenital alteration of a malformative nature, as in the case of ichthyosis. Some forms of keratosis have an unknown etiology
Possible Causes * of Keratosis
- Squamo-cell carcinoma
- Actinic keratosis
- Ichthyosis
