Actinic keratoses (AKs) form on skin that soaks up a lot of sun over the years. An AK is a rough, dry, scaly patch or growth that forms on the skin.  An AK forms when the skin is badly damaged by ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or indoor tanning. Most people get more than one AK.
 
When you have more than one AK, you have actinic keratoses, or AKs. AKs are very common and one of the most frequent reasons for seeing a dermatologist.  Anyone who has many AKs should be under a dermatologist’s care.

Most people who have many AKs continue to get new AKs for life. AKs are considered precancerous. Left untreated, AKs may turn into a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.  By seeing a dermatologist for checkups, the AKs can be treated before they become skin cancer. If skin cancer does develop, it can be caught early when treatment often cures skin cancer.
 

Photodynamic therapy is a type of treatment used to treat AKs.  This type of treatment uses a chemical cream that is applied to the skin, followed several hours later by a laser light treatment.  When the laser light is applied onto the skin, it activates the special chemicals in the cream to destroy the pre-cancer cells.

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