Home Treatment of Actinic Keratosis
Your dermatologist may offer at-home therapy if you have a lot of AKs or AKs that you can feel but not see.
You apply medication to your skin as directed when treating it at home. The benefit of using a drug to treat your AKs is that it can treat a wide range of AKs, including some you can’t see yet. Using that strategy can minimize your risk of developing new AKs and possibly skin cancer.
The disadvantage of putting medication to your skin is that some patients report that sticking to the treatment regimen is tough. You must apply the drug as often as your dermatologist suggests to be effective. You must continue to use the medicine even if it generates a skin reaction, which indicates that it is working. You’ll notice fresh, healthier skin after the treatment. Dermatologists prescribe the following drugs to treat AKs, all of which have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
1) 5-fluorouracil cream (5-FU)
For 2 to 4 weeks, apply this once or twice a day. It’s frequently used to treat the chest, arms, or back, but rarely the face because of the epidermal reaction it causes. It is not a viable therapy for pregnant women as it has the potential to damage your baby.
