If left alone, solar keratosis can sometimes develop into a form of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This is usually not a life threatening cancer, provided it is detected and treated in the early stages. If left untreated, it can spread into other tissue and start to cause more serious problems. Early diagnosis and treatment of solar keratosis is the best way to stop the condition developing into skin cancer.
As solar keratosis lesions are the result of long-term skin damage due to overexposure to the sun’s rays, it is unlikely that your damaged skin will experience only one episode. Once you have been successfully treated, regular examinations and checks will help to keep the condition under control.
Although you cannot reverse the damage to your skin, you can take sensible precautions to stop it being damaged further and reduce the chances of solar keratosis returning. See side box.