Difference Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis

The key difference between actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis is that in actinic keratosis, the patient develops erythematous silvery papules on the areas of the body exposed to the sun. In seborrheic keratosis, on the other hand, the lesions lie superficially and they have a typical greasy appearance.

Overall, actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis are fairly common dermatological conditions seen among elderly people with a white skin. Both of them are common dermatological problems in temperate countries.

CONTENT

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Actinic Keratosis 
3. What is Seborrheic Keratosis
4. Similarity Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis
5. Side by Side Comparison – Actinic Keratosis vs Seborrheic Keratosis in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Actinic Keratosis?

Actinic keratosis is a condition that is almost always seen in people with a white skin during the latter decades of their life following exposure to the sun. Erythematous silvery scale papules with a conical surface and a red base appear on the exposed areas of the skin. The skin adjacent to these lesions is wrinkled and has flat brown macules. In rare cases, actinic keratosis can undergo malignant transformation to form squamous cell carcinomas.

Skin lesions of actinic keratosis are treated with Cryotherapy, topical 5 fluorouracil cream or diclofenac gel.

What is Seborrheic Keratosis?

This is a benign growth arising from the basal cell layer of the epidermis. Its color can vary between black and brown and usually there is a greasy appearance. The lesions lie superficially and have irregular surfaces. The surface may have tiny keratin cysts.

Treatment for seborrheic keratosis includes cryotherapy or curettage.

What is the Similarity Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis?

• Both are dermatological conditions.

What is the Difference Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis?

Actinic keratosis is a condition that almost always occurs in people with a white skin during the latter decades of their life, following exposure to the sun. Seborrheic Keratosis, on the other hand, is a benign growth arising from the basal cell layer of the epidermis. In actinic keratosis, the patient develops erythematous silvery scale papules with a conical surface and a red base appear on the exposed areas of the skin. In addition, the skin adjacent to these lesions is wrinkled and has flat brown macules. However, in seborrheic keratosis, the patient develops superficial growths (color varying between black-brown) having a characteristic greasy appearance. The lesions lie superficially and have irregular surfaces. The surface may have tiny keratin cysts. This is one main difference between actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis.

Furthermore, Cryotherapy, topical 5 fluorouracil cream or diclofenac gel can treat skin lesions of actinic keratosis while cryotherapy or curettage can treat seborrheic keratosis. Furthermore, in actinic keratosis, lesions can undergo malignant transformations while malignant transformations do not occur in seborrheic keratosis.

Summary – Actinic Keratosis vs Seborrheic Keratosis

Both actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis are common dermatological problems in temperate countries. In actinic keratosis, the patient develops erythematous silvery scale papules having a conical surface and a red base whereas in seborrheic keratosis the patient gets superficial growths having a characteristic greasy appearance. Thus, the difference between actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis lies in the morphology of the lesions.

Reference:

1. Kumar, Parveen J., and Michael L. Clark. Kumar & Clark clinical medicine. Edinburgh: W.B. Saunders, 2009.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Actinic keratoses on forehead” By Future FamDoc – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Seborrheic keratosis” By Klaus D. Peter, Wiehl, Germany – Own work (CC BY 3.0 de) via Commons Wikimedia