Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Health / Medicine / Dermatology / Difference Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis

Difference Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis

June 11, 2018 Posted by Ranidu

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.

Difference Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis

Figure 01: Actinic Keratosis

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.

Key Difference - Actinic Keratosis vs Seborrheic Keratosi

Figure 02: Seborrheic Keratosis

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.

Difference Between Actinic Keratosis and Seborrheic Keratosis in Tabular Form

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

Related posts:

Difference Between Acne and Herpes Difference Between Moles and Warts Difference Between Acne and Pimples Difference Between Macular and Papular RashDifference Between Macular and Papular Rash Difference Between Nodule and CystDifference Between Nodule and Cyst

Filed Under: Dermatology

About the Author: Ranidu

Ranidu is passionate about writing articles on medical topics in general parlance. His experience in communicating with the general public during his medical practice has enabled him to describe facts that a layman has to know about a particular disorder in a concise and understandable manner.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Unit Price and Unit Cost

What is the Difference Between Epoetin Alfa and Darbepoetin Alfa

What is the Difference Between Epoetin Alfa and Darbepoetin Alfa

Difference Between Cost Benefit and Cost Effectiveness

Difference Between Windows 7 and Windows 8

Difference Between Force and Torque

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Elementary and Complex Reaction
  • What is the Difference Between Ataxia and Apraxia
  • What is the Difference Between Chlorine Fluorine and Astatine
  • What is the Difference Between B Cell and T Cell Leukemia
  • What is the Difference Between Animal Pole and Vegetal Pole
  • What is the Difference Between Terminal and Bridging Carbonyls
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.