August 17 2021 | News
Having seborrheic keratosis on your face or body is increasingly common and, whilst it isn’t necessarily something to be concerned about, its look-alike cousin, Melanoma, could be skin cancer.
Seborrheic keratosis is a common noncancerous skin growth that people tend to get more of as they get older. They are usually brown, black or light tan and found on the head, neck, chest or back.
The similarities between keratosis and melanoma highlight the importance of visiting a medical professional whenever you notice a change in your skin – whether that be a new skin condition or growth.
Ann Painter decided to visit us at Summerfield Healthcare after becoming worried about a growth on her face. Whilst it had started off as looking relatively ‘normal’, it had begun to grow in size and started to itch – two reasons that ultimately led to her decision to have it removed.
After visiting us and discovering that the growth was thankfully benign, she decided that she still wanted it removed along with two other seborrheic keratoses from her face, two from her neck and one from her back as they were beginning to catch on jewellery and when she was brushing her hair.
After the realisation that seborrhoeic keratoses are not routinely treated on the NHS and deciding that she didn’t want to wait too long for an appointment, Ann decided to “go straight down the private route”.
“My husband and I found Summerfield Healthcare and we thought that they looked like a professional company. Within two or three weeks it was all sorted. The procedure itself was a bit like going to the dentist so I was able to just zone out. It was fine.”
After the procedure was over and dressings were added, she was told everything she’d need to do after the treatment and how to take care of her skin after the surgeries.
Since Ann made the decision to have the procedure she feels that she finally has some peace of mind after initial concerns on whether the skin growths were benign.
Keratosis removal and removal of other growths such as moles or skin tags can be done quickly and easily and any skin lesion we remove can be sent for a histology microscope exam to confirm it is benign.
For those people that do need further testing or support in terms of a related condition to their growth, we can support them in moving forward.