Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Actinic Keratosis

Actinic keratosis is a lesion of the skin – it feels like a dry little patch, but it is actually a pre-cancerous lesion (meaning if untreated it can or will become cancer). If we see Actinic Keratosis we usually recommend removing the lesion or using a topic prescription cream called efudex.

What is Actinic Keratosis (more specifically)?

A skin disease also known as solar keratoses. These lesions are the result of years of unprotected exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. Although you may have been extra careful about sun protection in the recent past, if you spend time in the sun when you were younger, you have put yourself at risk for developing AKs. Many adults have AKs

AKs (actinic keratosis) actually represent the earliest stages of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Since the 1960s the incidence of the SCC has been increasing 4%-8% per year. SCC affects about 100,000 Americans each year and 2,000 to 2,500 Americans die each year due to SCC of the skin. At Surgical Artistry, Inc, we hope to take part in reducing this rate of increase, if not halt the increase all together and lead to a decrease in skin cancers.

What is Efudex and how does it work?
AK and sBCC lesions multiply at a faster rate than normal cells. Fluorouracil, the active ingredient in EFUDEX®, is believed to interfere with a cell's ability to reproduce. As a result, the unhealthy cells absorb the fluorouracil in EFUDEX® faster than healthy, normal cells. Efudex requires a prescription and is available at most pharmacies.

It is believe that Efudex lowers the expression of P53.


How is this relevant to our practice - we carry CE Ferulic.

The connection here is P53!
In the latest study (Pinnell) we see that CE Ferulic also prevents and the activation of the P53 gene in live human skin which leads to actinic keratosis (pre-cancers) as well as some forms of skin cancer. CE Ferulic Serum is not only an important cosmetic product, but has also proven to be important for overall skin health. The healthier skin is, the better it looks cosmetically.

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