While looking at pictures of actinic keratosis or psoriasis might help you figure out what skin condition you’re dealing with, it doesn’t replace an expert’s exam.
Of course, diagnosing skin cancer is far from straightforward, so if you have any doubts, contact your dermatologist or primary care provider.
These pictures of actinic keratosis and other skin conditions can help you see the differences between cancerous, noncancerous, and precancerous lesions.
They appear predominantly on sun-exposed areas of the skin such as the face, neck, back of the hands and forearms, upper chest, and upper back. You can also develop keratoses along the rim of your ear.
In pictures of actinic keratosis, you’ll see they are typically pink, scaly, and flat. It’s also common to have harmless brown spots or “liver spots.”
Actinic keratosis is caused by cumulative skin damage from repeated exposure to ultraviolet light, including that found in sunshine. Sometimes actinic keratoses can develop into an invasive and potentially disfiguring skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.
Most actinic keratoses are not premalignant. Only about 10% will become squamous cell carcinomas.
If you’re looking at pictures of actinic keratoses on the scalp and comparing it to what your skin looks like, you’ll see flat, scaly lesions. Sometimes, the lesions get crusty. They may turn pink or red, or just be the same color as your skin.
When you look at pictures of actinic keratoses close up, you might notice some different details about them.
For example, the lesions are initially flat and scaly on the surface and become slightly raised. Over time, they become hard and wart-like or gritty, rough, and sandpapery.
Actinic keratoses may develop a horn-like texture (called a cutaneous horn) from an overgrowth of the skin keratin layer also known as hyperkeratosis.
It can also be smooth or scaly and usually appears on the face, particularly the cheeks.
A Spitz nevus is not harmful but may be difficult to differentiate from melanoma, even for experts.
If you look at pictures of atypical nevi, you’ll see that most are 5 mm across or larger, have irregular borders, and come in various shades or colors.
If you have dysplastic nevi plus a family history of melanoma—a syndrome known as FAMM—you have a high risk for developing melanoma at an early age, younger than 40.
Similarly, giant congenital nevi (shown in the photo above), are major risk factors for melanoma. In such cases, cancer usually appears by age 10.
If you look at pictures of psoriasis, you’ll see that it looks like red, scaly patches of skin. These patches are often very itchy and dry.
They are typically skin-colored or slightly red when they first develop and can grow rapidly to 1 to 2 cm in size. Most will spontaneously get better within 1 year, but they almost always scar after healing.
Removal by surgery, or sometimes by radiation, is recommended. In cases not appropriate for excision, due to their size or location, keratoacanthomas may be treated with 5-fluorouracil, a type of medication used to treat cancer, either as a cream or by injection.
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A seborrheic keratosis lesion usually feels rough but can be waxy. Actinic keratosis tends to feel dry and crusty.
