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Barnacles of Aging Pictures, Skin Disease

The medical name for it is Seborrheic keratoses. Barnacles of Aging are harmless spots and skin growth that appear during the adult life. It is so called because of its association with aging. Most women hate the appearance of these skin growths and may be concerned. Barnacles of Aging has varying degrees of pigmentation.

Epidermal growth factors play a role in the development of these skin growths, which develop from the proliferation of epidermal cells. They start as light brown spots that become darker with a wart appearance. Some become almost black when sun tan lotions is used but have no relation to skin cancer. They often appear on the chest and have a wax type of feeling and look. They are not contagious and will not spread. Some may have little black or white circles in the middle and the surface appear irregular.

Barnacles of Aging appear for a number of reasons:

1. Research indicates that it can be inherited.
2. They are caused by abnormal increase of melanin in the epidermal layers of the skin.
3. Excessive exposure to ultra violet rays from the sun results in pigmentation.
4. Aging plays a major role. The skin starts to break down because of several factors. The binding mortar in the upper layers of the skin becomes thinner. The deeper layers of collagen and elastin that make the skin flexible become less. The skin then gets wrinkled and spots appear. It can appear on covered and uncovered areas of the body.

You can treat Seborrheic keratoses with liquid nitrogen.

It is a cold liquefied gas that is sprayed on the skin with a spray gun. The treatment is repeated three times. It freezes the Barnacles of Aging, pre-cancers and warts.

Side effects of liquid nitrogen therapy.

It causes a burning feeling that continues while the skin thaws. The skin becomes red and swollen after the treatment and blisters appear. A crust develops that stays for about four weeks. Itching only disappears after the crust is gone. A permanent white flat scar may be left after the crust falls off. The treatment may fail and you then have to return for further therapy.

Alpha-hydroxy lotions and mild topical steroid creams can reduce itching from clothing rubbed against the skin growths. They should be removed if they continue to itch or bleed. Glycolic acid creams can be used for the removal of the skin growths.

Scraping the keratoses off with a curette is another type of treatment. It is normally done when you only have on or two. It is sometimes used when a biopsy is needed on one of the keratoses that turned black, since it is then difficult to distinguish it from skin cancer. It takes longer to heal and leaves scars.

Who gets Barnacles of Aging?

It is the most common benign tumor in older people. Younger people who have been exposed to sunlight without skin protection may also develop this skin growth. It affects both men and women. It is less common under people with dark skins and more often affects people with a light complexion. The skin growth doesn’t lead to death but it is unattractive and can itch or catch on clothing and become aggravated. Studies have shown that more than 90% of people older than 70 years get these skin growths.

Can a person prevent Barnacle Aging?

There is no known way to prevent it. Exposure to ultra violet rays of the sun may increase the darkness but they come with aging. Proper moisturizing of the skin may delay the appearance. The number of growths increases with age.

Diagnosis

The doctor will diagnose the growths by inspecting each with a magnifying glass and a bright light. A biopsy is done when it is difficult to distinguish between the seborrheic keratoses and skin cancer because of the color.

Even though the Barnacles of Aging is unattractive, they pose no real threat to your health. There is no reason to be alarmed unless they itch or become very large. You may consider removing them when they grow on the facial area. The procedure is simple and local anesthetic can be used to reduce pain. The healing process takes a while and you will have some scars left.