Where are Seborrhoeic Keratoses located?


Basically they can be found all over the body and are often found on the front of the torso (chest and abdomen), the back of the torso (chest and back), head and neck and even on the limbs.

Seborrhoeic keratoses rarely occur alone. When one is found, it often has several "satellite" ones spreading in the same area. However this is not due to infection or them truely "spreading". What actually happens is that the factors causing the skin to change to produce the first seborrhoeic keratoses usually affect the skin the same way, in the same area. As such the whole of the area react the same way, and multiple seborrhoeic keratoses grow.


Seborrhoeic keratoses dangerous?


The simple answer is no. They do look unsightly but if left alone, they will not cause any harm. However, the downside of leaving them alone is that they do continue to grow, increasing in size, getting darker and more crusty although this is a very slow process.


Do Seborrhoeic keratoses represent an underlying medical problem?


Once again the answer is no. A seborrhoeic keratosis is the simple and local abnormality of the skin that is not an effective and is not related to any underlying medical problem.


Can seborrhoeic keratosis be mistaken for anything else?


A simple seborrhoeic keratosis is very obvious. However, occasionally if the crusty surface is not very well formed, and if the sport is dark, it can be mistaken or confused with the melanoma or mole. It is this reason that, if there is any doubt, your professional clinician may advise you to have it removed by a simple local anaesthetic surgical procedure. The lesion (medical term for the tissue that is removed) would then be sent off for specialist examination called histology.

Fortunately this is quite uncommon and, almost always, a seborrhoeic keratosis can be diagnosed and safely removed without the need surgery or histology.