Esthetician's Guide to Actinic Keratosis

Learn more about Actinic Keratosis in the ASCP SkinPro app

What is Actinic Keratosis?

Actinic Keratosis is a horny growth or patch caused by cumulative sun exposure that often occurs on the temples or in front of the ears. Also known as AKs or solar keratosis, it presents as a rough-textured patch of skin that can also appear on any chronically sun-exposed area such as the tops of the hands, forearms, neck, or scalp.

Actinic Keratosis Symptoms and Causes

• Rough-textured patch of skin.
• Frequently occurs on the temples or in front of the ears.
• Often called pre-cancers as they may develop into squamous cell carcinomas.
• Seen in older clients with signs of sun damage such as wrinkling, solar elastosis, and pigmentation.

Often called pre-cancers as they may develop into squamous cell carcinomas.

Frequently seen on older clients with other signs of sun damage such as severe wrinkling, solar elastosis, and sun-induced pigmentation issues.

They often feel sharp or prickly to the touch, are often red or erythemic, and sometimes bleed.

Actinic Keratosis Treatment Considerations

• Clients with actinic keratoses should be referred to a dermatologist for treatment.
• Estheticians may proceed with routine facial procedures.
• Because these lesions may involve broken skin, proceed with caution.
• Moisturizing and soothing treatments may help the skin feel and look better.
• Typical medical treatment includes freezing the lesion with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery). In severe cases, patients may be prescribed a topical treatment called fluorouracil which causes the skin to peel deeply to rid the skin of the precancerous cells. Dermatologists often find other advancing skin cancers on these patients.

Actinic Keratosis Contraindications

• This client should be referred to a dermatologist for specific treatment.
• If the client is using fluorouracil, esthetic treatments may need to be temporarily discontinued.
• Avoid peeling treatments, without permission of the dermatologist, including microdermabrasion, chemical exfoliation and peels, IPL, dermaplaning, and microneedling.
• For this client, avoid abrasives, glycolic acid, lactic acid, salt, and sugars.
• Do not use alpha hydroxy acids or retinol directly on these areas unless approved by the dermatologist.

ASCP members can access SkinPro to continue reading about actinic keratosis.

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ASCP SkinPro

Introducing our newest resource for estheticians, ASCP SkinPro—a web app that can easily be saved to your mobile device!

Included with ASCP membership, ASCP SkinPro is designed to aid in skin analysis by putting the essential knowledge of contraindications for common skin-related conditions and ingredients at your fingertips. Members can log in for access or go directly to the app.

Picture this: You’re in the treatment room and a client tells you they have atopic dermatitis and several allergies. You’re pretty confident you know how to proceed with treatment, but you want to be absolutely sure. Simply open the app, search for the condition, and you’ve got expert information at your fingertips. You can also use ASCP SkinPro to look up ingredients quickly and easily, identifying important contraindications and best practices so you can adjust your treatment plan on the spot.

Consult with ASCP SkinPro with confidence and elevate your treatment plans. The ASCP team sourced information from a variety of clinical journals and worked with Dr. Mark Lees, author of Skin Care: Beyond the Basics and a longtime contributor to ASCP Skin Deep magazine, to bring it all together.

HOW DO ESTHETICIANS USE ASCP SKINPRO?

• During consultation: Your client mentions a condition or ingredient allergy during the intake process and want to contraindications.
• During skin analysis: You observe a skin condition and want to make a quick decision about the best treatment.
• While retailing: You’re about to recommend a product for your client, but you want to confirm the contraindications and ensure the product will perform as needed. 

HOW DO I SAVE ASCP SKINPRO TO MY PHONE?

ASCP SkinPro uses progressive web app technology so you can save it to your phone, mobile device, or computer like an app, but it won't take up too much space. The app can recognize the device that you're using, and the instructions provided will match that device. For example, if you want to save ASCP SkinPro to your phone, log in with your phone and follow the instructions provided. Click here for instructions.

Already an ASCP member? Take a few minutes to try ASCP SkinPro here and discover your new go-to consultant!

Not yet an ASCP member? Join ASCP and get ASCP SkinPro, ASCP Career Toolkits, ASCP Skin Deep magazine, and the best professional liability insurance in the profession!