Seborrheic keratoses (seb-o-REE-ik ker-uh-TOE-ses), which commonly develop in people over age 50, are harmless, not contagious and not cancerous. These skin growths are more common on the head, neck, chest or back. They are usually brown, tan or black, and look like bits of white or brown candle wax on the skin. Texture ranges from a slightly raised surface to warty and thick; scales may form. Most people have several of these growths, and the number tends to increase with age. They rarely cause problems and don’t need treatment. However, they can look like skin cancer and should be checked by your doctor.
Any adult of any skin tone can get seborrheic keratoses. Children rarely get them. The cause is unknown but four factors may contribute to their development:
Seborrheic keratoses can become worse in dry, cold weather, and when you’re under a high level of unrelieved stress. Treatment can help calm flare ups.
Contact your dermatologist or doctor if you develop any of these symptoms:
Your dermatologist can diagnose a seborrheic keratosis by examining it with a magnifier. If it looks like skin cancer, a tissue sample may be taken for analysis. Skin cancer and seborrheic keratoses have similar features and can be misdiagnosed. A new diagnostic test that’s becoming more popular does not require a skin sample. It provides a noninvasive examination with an optical biopsy using a special microscope.
The vast majority of these skin growths do not need treatment. If they are easily irritated, bleed, itch, or detract from your appearance you may want to have them removed.
Removal methods include:
After a seborrheic keratosis is removed, the skin site may be lighter but skin tone will even out with time. It is unusual for a seborrheic keratosis to return in the same spot; however, additional ones will likely develop on other parts of the body.
No, it can only be safely and effectively removed by a doctor. Most do not need treatment and you should never try to remove it yourself by scratching or cutting. This will not remove the growths, but does increase your risk of an infection. There is no approved treatment for removal of the growths at home.
Medically reviewed by:
Dr. Siddiqui is the Chief Medical Officer at TeleMed2U responsible for clinical and technical program development as well as maintaining a thriving telemedicine practice in infectious diseases which includes specialized care of Hepatitis and HIV.
