Most people will develop at least one seborrheic keratosis during a lifetime. Fortunately, these lesions are benign and don’t become cancerous. They appear as brown, black or yellow growths that grow singly or in groups and are flat or slightly elevated. Occasionally they may be mistaken for warts. Generally, no treatment is required unless the growth becomes irritated from chafing against clothing. Because a seborrheic keratosis may at times look similar in appearance to a cancerous or precancerous growth, your dermatologist may opt to biopsy the lesion to confirm the diagnosis.
If a seborrheic keratosis becomes irritated or unsightly, removal is conducted using one of these three methods:
- Cryosurgery, which freezes off the growth using liquid nitrogen.
- Curettage, in which the doctor scrapes the growth off the surface of the skin.
- Electrocautery, used alone or in conjunction with curettage to burn off the tissue and stop the bleeding.