Solar Keratosis

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Sebor. Keratosis and A/C Vinegar

Deidre (QLD) on 08/19/2022
5 out of 5 stars

Three years ago I decided to tackle half a chickpea size Sebhorreic Keratosis on my facial hairline, after a doctor quoted me a lot to remove it surgically. I applied Apple Cider Vinegar with cotton wool to it for about 13 days, about 4 times a day. It started to become crumbly by day 8, and by the end of week 2, it started lifting in patches, and I could continue lift off the dried patches easily. After 2,5 weeks it was totally gone, with smooth, healthy pink skin underneath. A real miracle! Praise God for a natural, effective and super cheap solution.
REPLY   9      

35% Hydrogen Peroxide for Solar Keratosis

Rob (Kentucky) on 07/08/2022
5 out of 5 stars

35% Hydrogen Peroxide for Seborrheic Keratosis (SK) and Actinic Keratosis (Solar Keratosis))

Dab 35% hydrogen peroxide on the solar keratosis with a Q-tip and hold it on for 5 minutes contact time. Be careful not to get any H2O2 on health tissue. 35% Hydrogen peroxide can burn healthy skin, so be very careful when applying it. I’ve used this treatment myself for warts and it does sting a little but it will pass. A friend's father used this on his keratosis on the back of his hand the size of a half dollar.

The solar keratosis will turn it white, then scabbed, then fell off leaving healthy tissue all within a week. Do one treatment or more daily til gone. It’ll take some hunting to find 35% hydrogen peroxide either at a health store or online or you can make 35% out of 3% by freezing the bottle of 3% H2O2 in the freezer. Water will turn to ice but the H2O2 will not. Pour this into a small container and label.

Reference:

33% hydrogen peroxide as a Neoadjuvant treatment in the surgical excision of non-melanoma skin cancers: a case series

Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery https://journalotohns.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40463-020-00433-6

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a product of respiration in mitochondria and an important oxidizing agent in biological systems. Previous investigations have shown the efficacy of H2O2 in treating skin conditions such as seborrheic keratosis (SK) and actinic keratosis (solar keratosis). In an area like the face, reconstruction of excision defects and ultimately aesthetic outcomes are of utmost importance. Hydrogen peroxide may represent a simple yet effective method at shrinking non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) of the head and neck before they are excised.

Methods

Eleven consecutive patients presenting to our cutaneous malignancy clinic had their skin lesions evaluated by the senior author for participation in the study. Lesion length and width was measured. Hydrogen peroxide formulated at a concentration of 33% was rubbed into the lesion until blanching was observed. Lesions were re-measured at follow up. Excisional biopsy was then performed and histopathological diagnosis was obtained. Statistical analyses compared pre- and post-treatment lesion dimensions.

Results

Seventeen biopsy-proven NMSC lesions were included in this investigation. Statistically significant reductions in the length (p < 0.001) and width (p < 0.001) were observed with H2O2 treatment. For some lesions, H2O2 was the sole treatment required, with post-treatment biopsy demonstrating no evidence of malignancy. Patients endured minimal discomfort during treatment and no long-term side effects were observed. Follow up at 6 months revealed no recurrences.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of multiple lesions after application of 33% hydrogen peroxide, simplifying definitive excision and reconstruction. Hydrogen peroxide demonstrated an ability to successfully treat non-melanoma skin cancers as well.

REPLY   9      

Lugol's Iodine for Actinic Keratosis

Donna (Dunedin, FL) on 03/10/2021
5 out of 5 stars

Actinic Keratosis:

I have removed a large AK from the side of my temple with Lugol's iodine, applied several times a day. Removed it within 4 days...I've had other precancerous lesions around my nose and forehead which I've removed with Lugol's...these took months, so patience is important...

REPLY   14      



Apple Cider Vinegar for Actinic Keratosis

Doug (Seattle) on 10/30/2020
2 out of 5 stars

Worked Temporarily

Doctor diagnosed Actinic Keratosis on face. Have tried ACV by applying tissue wetted in ACV on affected areas of face multiple times a day (including overnight), pausing if it gets too sore.

After say 10 days of treatment, the AKs will scab up and fall off. However, they all come back again. Have repeated the ACV treatment after a couple years with same result: the AKs come back again. I feel that, at least in my case, the ACV does not penetrate deep enough, or possibly it is just not effective enough to completely remove what causes the AKs.

I will try eggplant mixed with ACV next time, and perhaps olive oil with tea tree.

REPLY   2      

Edith (USA - Midwest) on 05/26/2020
4 out of 5 stars

Better But With Side Effects

 Hi All, I just wanted to post my experience with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and possible Actinic Keratosis. I had not received a medical diagnosis for the small, irritated spots that appeared on my nose. I'm 47 years old, Irish ancestry, with a history of extreme sun exposure as a child. I would get one spot on my nose, it would get irritated and ulcerate, and then wouldn't heal like a pimple would. There was no pus and the spot turned black. I was worried that it was basal cancer, impetigo, or a staph infection. With some research, I thought that maybe this was actinic keratosis. The first spot took about a month to heal on its own with a lot of coconut oil. It was very unsightly. About a month later, I got another spot on the left side of the tip of my nose. It was very inflamed, itchy, and unsightly. I decided to treat this with ACV. I put ACV on a cotton ball and put it on the spot. It stung badly and felt like it was burning my skin. I continued with the treatment as I thought that I couldn't just leave the spot to fester on my face and that the ACV was probably a good treatment. After 3-4 weeks of applying the ACV, the spot was just so unsightly and raw. It had become an open ulcer and it appeared that I had burned through the skin and could see the dermis below. It was about .25 inches in diameter and circular. I decided to stop with the ACV and apply Aloe and coconut oil to see what would happen. After about a week, the spot seemed to begin to heal. Now, several months later, I have a very deep scar on my nose where the sore was. It is the deepest scar on my face and I have wondered if I overdid it with the ACV. I have since gotten new sores on my nose, usually one at a time, on the tip of my nose. I haven't been treating these with ACV because I'm afraid of unnecessarily scarring myself again. I have a new red, scaly, spot that has just developed beside the place where I have my scar from my first ACV treatment. I'm unsure of what to do now, but I think that I will try colloidal silver.
REPLY         

Apple Cider Vinegar for Solar Keratosis

Skygirl (San Angelo, Texas) on 07/11/2018
5 out of 5 stars

The comments about apple cider viniger being uncomfortable, orther substances being painful, are unique to each individual. I think just treating a small part of the area at first would be common sense, why treat with a substance when you don't know how you will react. But it's proven that apple cider viniger and many of the other DIY remedies help with skin lesions such a actinic keratosis. In the absence of doctors who will aggressively people, especially older people afflicted with this condition, I think whatever we can do in a common sense way to help ourselves, is smart. I can tell you, as a former nurse, I saw people who just gave up on the lesions on their necks, face, scalp, and especially their backs. Those lesions itch and are unsightly and it's darn hard to put up with it. If you find a dermatologist who will welcome you, treat treat them, and you can afford it, please let us know. Most of us are met with the standard...Oh those things, like skin tags, and keratosis just come with age, they are harmless." You are left to live with it. So I get steamed when I see people try a remedy and just because they got uncomfortable, they beat the topic to death. As for me, I would much rather put on my big girl britches, use my cheap vinigar and be free of unsightly skin patches. I treat regularly and see results. I also make sure to get a yearly skin examination to make sure nothing is developing that needs a biopsy. I don't claim to be a doctor, but we'd be in sad shape if we just ignored common sense and proven helpful education to share here on other sites.
REPLY   15      

Colloidal Silver for Solar Keratosis

Judy (United States) on 03/20/2018
5 out of 5 stars

My doctor tried to get me to do the freeze method and I am into all natural everything. I have been used colloidal silver years ago, and it killed a scary spot on my face.
About a year or more ago, a friend suggested using it to kill viruses, etc, and my family and I stayed healthy through this year's flu attacks. I started using colloidal silver ointment on my keratosis about a week ago. this has a higher ppm than the liquid spray that I use for every other thing. (I had been using the spray on it, but I wasn't consistent. )
Things are changing rapidly, and it is burning off. the first week, it just turned pink, and now things are more active. Hoping that soon that thing will be gone. The silver has killed lots of cancerous looking cells on my shoulders and on my husband's back. Colloidal silver is amazing!
REPLY   4      

ACV for Actinic Keratosis

Jodi (Florida) on 12/28/2017
0 out of 5 stars

OMG I put ACV on my entire nose and chin 2 times for actinic keratosis and will never use it again. My face is bright red and blistered bad. I even rinsed it off after the 2nd time. I don't know how anyone can apply ACV 4-5 times a day for weeks. They are a tougher person than I am (I am 60 years old)
REPLY   2      

ACV for Actinic Keratosis

Jk (Uk) on 10/02/2017
5 out of 5 stars

I had a tiny scab that wouldn't heal on my upper lip and I had it for at least a year. I was slightly concerned that it may be a type of skin cancer and to be honest having already had moles removed in the past and the scars that were left, I didn't fancy going down the conventional doctor route as a first port of call. I came aross the reviews that folks kindly shared on this great site and saw that it was something called Actinic Keratosis - often caused by sun damage.

I was thinking about buying the curaderm cream which is based on the aubergine remedy however as a first off I thought I would try apple cider vinegar. I had seen some folks say it gets worse before it gets better. It stung a bit when I first applied it and then within about 24 hours of applying it neat a few times a day just using a bit of cotton wool ( I used the mother Apple Cider Vinegar ) I noticed that other scabs were appearing ( about 5 on my upper lip ) and my lower lip also scabbed over. My mouth was in a bit of a mess to be honest and I was really self conscious when I saw people as I thought it looked like I had a ton of cold sores.

I had read that the Apple Cider Vinegar can bring out the hidden stuff so I just gritted my teeth, kept a fairly low profile as much as possible and carried on in the good faith that if it had worked for all these other folks then it would work for me. Within about 5/ 6 days things were looking considerably better and I could see that my lips were actually healing. About another 3 days after that so about 9 or 10 days in total my lips were looking totally normal again. I finished the treatment about 2 months ago ( was extra careful putting on a high sunscreen when I went on holiday ) and glad to say they are still looking great.

ACV rocks. to think that I could have gone to doctors and quite possibly ended up with some chemical chemo type cream which would have side effects, what I can say? Thrilled that this worked.

REPLY   20      

Petty Spurge for Actinic Keratosis

Jeff A (Costa Mesa) on 02/17/2017
5 out of 5 stars

For AK( actinic keratosis), use sap from Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge, radium weed, cancer weed, or milkweed). This white milky sap applied once per day for 3 days will burn off spots. Scab forms in few days, heals to normal skin. Keep out of eyes. Natural weed found wild in Southern California. Studies in England confirm results, used for hundreds of years.
REPLY   7      

Finally Joined EC After Many Years!

Liz (Victoria, Australia) on 02/01/2017
5 out of 5 stars

Well, I have finally taken the plunge and joined earth clinic after years of using your site for all my familys health problems, you are a wonderful site. I take 2 tablespoons of ACV in water each morning and have cleared up my post nasal drip that doctors could never heal, cured. I now use colloidal silver every day as I have found it better on my skin cancers than ACV, I have solar keratosis everywhere (the joy`s, of an Australian sun), I wipe it on each cancer and take 1/2 tablespoon daily I do this once daily and so far the results are great it has cured many small ones, also I work in a garden centre and any small cuts and rose thorn sores it heals overnight a great product that I would never have known about if I had not found this site, we now keep a bottle at work. Keep up the good work Earth Clinic.
REPLY   5      

Natural Remedies for Solar Keratosis

Steve (Sc) on 01/15/2017
5 out of 5 stars

So you want to heal your skin. I am 55 years old Male, olive complexion, with dozens of age spots, AK’s, non-healing spots, solar freckles from years of Surfing, Tennis and all outdoor sports since I was about 4 years old. I have taken whole vitamins for years so I feel great and am extremely active, decades younger than my years but my age is given away by my terribly aged skin.

FIRST reduce the bio burden so your body can heal itself. Clean up the diet, drink only filtered water without chlorine or fluoride, get rid of fluoride toothpaste, take lots of Vitamin C (5-10 grams spread through the day) and a good multi. I applied topical Derma E, Aloe, and Coconut Oil to start helping to heal the easiest areas and reduce my bio burden to help my body heal itself.

I did the Carac and it is horrible, turns your face pink, hurts and stings everywhere. It works on most AK's but I had several on the hands and a few areas on the face that were unaffected, plus some areas on the face that were not AK's but something unknown to the dermatologist, plus brown age spots. I do not recommend this unless everything else fails.

So I scoured the web, and came up with several natural therapies: BEC5 (made from Apple Cider Vinegar/eggplant with hand mixer, keep in fridge), Magnesium Oil and Vitamin C. I rotated these by applying the BEC5, then the Mag Oil, then the Vitamin C crystals with water, repeat as many times as you like.

The BEC5 seemed to be pretty powerful and went after the affected areas, it stings a little and turns injured areas red, it also went after age spots, the mag oil helped dry everything out and replenish minerals, the vitamin C was then taken up readily by the dry skin. When repeated or every time moisture was applied the mag oil and vit C was reactivated, so it worked over and over, even without re-application.

After a couple weeks, the red areas started to heal. For a couple days here and there between treatments, I applied Derma E Night Moisturizer with Vit C and Hyaluronic Acid in the PM and aloe in the AM during work days. Then applied the therapies in the PM a couple hours before bed. After 2-3 weeks my worst AK’s were peeling off, the unknown issue on my face had turned red, and then healed. Small areas on my ears turned red, then healed along with all of the non-healing sores. Several of the worst brown spots flaked off, and others were fading. I am nearing the finish, when I apply the therapies they no longer sting, the skin is healing back and much better than it was before. Keep drinking lots of water, add some Apple cider Vinegar if you want, also saw that there are other things to do when the BIG problems are healed: Drink Aloe, take Pycnogenol and Nicotinic Acid. I will also continue with coconut oil, Derma E and trial some Retin A on the wrinkled areas for a few months. I hope to look a decade or two younger. See the Video’s of the 60 year old on retin A, she looks great…I hope to get there over a couple of years, but it takes time and diligence.

Don’t trust me, do you own due diligence, study up for yourself and try lots of things until something works for you. I tried more than a dozen oils, but nothing worked. Everyone is different…..Good luck.

REPLY   10      

Organic ACV With the Mother for Actinic Keratosis

Bobbi (Pa) on 01/09/2017
5 out of 5 stars

The first Actinic Keratosis lesion I had was removed by my Dr. I had been applying a dissolved Vitamin C tablet covered by a Band-Aid to that lesion for a few weeks prior to removal, and it seemed to remained unchanged by that treatment.

About a year later, to my dismay, another lesion showed up. This time I decided I was going to give organic ACV a try. For the first few days I just applied the ACV to a swab and dabbed vinegar on in the am, dinnertime, pm, and bedtime. I did that for about a week, with no apparent changes. I wondered if I should be more aggressive, so I applied the ACV to a small piece of cotton and kept it in place on the lesion with a Band-Aid. I would re-wet when needed to keep the area moist, changing out the old cotton every day. The Band-Aid was removed at bath time. I kept it on almost continually, but did give the area fresh air a few hours per day or sometimes overnight. This is when changes started happening much more quickly. The lesion changed to a dark pink, and I would experience burning and stinging. I felt something was happening so kept up the routine. At around the two week mark, the lesion had begun to separate from the healthy surrounding tissue. I was amazed! It took about four more days for the lesion to let go.

That was about two weeks ago that the lesion let go completely. The spot is still a slightly pink color. It is flat and smooth. If I didn't point out the spot to you, you would not see it. I apply natural ointment and liquid Vitamin C to facilitate healing. Of course, I have no idea if will come back again, but I will leave another review if it does to state that has happened.

REPLY   13      

Apple Cider Vinegar for Actinic Keratosis

Good Sam (Baltimore, Md) on 12/14/2016
5 out of 5 stars

I had a small spot of actinic keratosis on my face next to my nose about 1/4" diameter. The dermatologist performed cryosurgery on the spot three time without success. So, I tried apple cider vinegar and cured it myself. Now it's completely gone and the skin is smooth as silk. I used organic, raw, unfiltered ACV. I applied it undiluted with a Q-tip swab 4 times per day for 5 days. Held it on the spot for one minute each time.

I did not use the ACV internally. It stung a little. On the second day, I had a little bleeding and scabbing. On the fourth day, the scab floated off. It's been over a month now, and there are no signs of AK.

REPLY   11      

Apple Cider Vinegar for Solar Keratosis

Jeff (Bucerias, Mexico) on 11/08/2016
5 out of 5 stars

ACV for Solar Keratosis:

10 days into the treatment; 2-6 times a day, dabbed on with cotton wool, and the difference is amazing. Got worst before it got better. Uncomfortable/painful. The full extent of the problem was exposed by the ACV. That was worrisome. Now I only have scabs on my pate in a few places. They are diminishing daily. Could not be any happier or more relieved, after years of using diclofenac. I have toasted myself in the sun & on sunbeds all my life despite being blond and fair skinned. I say try it, persevere with it. Tell someone else about it.

REPLY   10      

Apple Cider Vinegar for Solar Keratosis

Gary (Calgary, Alberta) on 09/01/2016
5 out of 5 stars

Excellent results from apple cider vinegar. I had many sores on my bald head from sun damage accumulated over the years from overexposurer ( Actinic Keratosis). I applied the ACV with a q-tip soaked in the ACV three or four times a day for approximately four days. Scabs began to form within a few days and I was able to gently remove the scabs. So far so good. Actually, amazing .
REPLY   7      

Apple Cider Vinegar for Solar Keratosis

Gary (Calgary, Alberta) on 08/30/2016
5 out of 5 stars

Excellent results from apple cider vinegar. I had many sores on my bald head from sun damage accumulated over the years from overexposurer ( Actinic Keratosis). I applied the ACV with a q-tip soaked in the ACV three or four times a day for approximately four days. Scabs began to form within a few days and I was able to gently remove the scabs. So far so good. Actually, amazing .
REPLY   4      

Borax for Actinic Keratosis

Adeha (Asheville, North Carolina) on 05/08/2016
5 out of 5 stars

For some years I've had a spot on my forearm that started out as a mosquito bite, but which never completely healed, forming a 1/2 inch area of thin pink skin which would almost seem to heal and then crack open again and scab over. It looked exactly like the pics of actinic keratosis. It did not seem to grow, and I was reluctant to offer it up to a dermatologist for removal.

I tried many remedies, none worked, and then I tried coconut oil, which someone recommended with the idea the problem might be a fungus. The coconut oil did seem to bring very slow improvement, so I started thinking what else I could use for a fungus, and I came up with borax. I made a paste of borax laundry detergent booster and water, applied a chickpea sized dab to the lesion, and covered it with a band aid. I kept the bandaid on most of the time, reapplying borax at night. Within a week, I knew it was working, as the scab kept shrinking and the pink skin got thicker. It's been two weeks now, and the lesion is closed, the skin, still pink, but thicker and looking resilient. I will probably always have a scar there, but I am very happy to have the skin healed over.

I did add another tweak after the first ten days. Convinced the anti fungal treatment was working, I started using Listerine (original) instead of water to wet the borax. Listerine has thymol and eucalyptol, apparently the real plant oils, which are effective against fungus. I did this because my brother claimed to have gotten rid of bad toenail fungus by painting Listerine all over his nails every night. Not to say that AK is the same fungus, but just that anti fungal treatment seems to have worked amazingly in my case.

I would love to know if this will work for anybody else!

REPLY   12      

Apple Cider Vinegar, Eggplant for Actinic (Solar) Keratosis

Linda (Seattle) on 04/29/2015
5 out of 5 stars

This is my first time posting and I'm unsure if this is the right place to post about this cure. So my apologies if it's not.

I've had 3 rough red spots on the bridge of my nose for a number of years. Doc said they were actinic keratosis (ak) and to keep an eye on them since they can occasionally turn into cancer. They were unsightly and would sometimes get inflamed a little and peel, so I wanted to get rid of them. It's not uncommon for bruises, cuts and other injuries to leave marks on my skin for a long time after they've healed up, so I didn't want to do the cut or burn approach and have marks from that for a year, so I started looking for alternative treatments.

I read about using eggplant and ACV on AKs, so I blended up an eggplant with raw ACV and let it sit in the fridge for a day. Then I'd apply a thick layer of that paste to the lesions and leave it on overnight (uncovered). In the morning the paste would be dried up and firmly attached to the AKs and I had to peel them off or wash them off with lots of water and patience. The AKs got pretty inflammed and sore after a couple of days, then they started to weep and bleed a little. But only the AKs reacted. The rest of the skin in the treated area showed absolutely no reaction to the paste. About 5 days into the treatment the area was pretty sore and inflamed, so I stopped treatment for a couple of days to let it rest. Then I resumed treatment.

There was one spot on the right side of my nose that had been slightly pink, but had never had a visible AK. It got inflammed and sore too, so I assume it was an AK that hadn't surfaced yet.

About a week into treatment the AKs started going away. The AKs started sloughing and the redness and inflammation subsided. Four small pimples popped up on the edge of a couple of the AKs. They were small but quite sore. They lasted for about a week, then they peeled and fell off too. I continued to apply the paste for another week. But when the AKs started peeling the skin stopped reacting to the paste and nothing more happed, so I quit using it.

It's been about 4 weeks since I started the treatment, and at this point the areas where the AKs were are a light pink color, but all of the skin there is soft and smooth now. So for me the eggplant/ACV paste was a success. And it was cheap and easy too. Just one eggplant and about a half of a cup of raw ACV vinegar.
REPLY   16      

Apple Cider Vinegar for Actinic (Solar) Keratosis

Kat (NC, US) on 08/27/2014
5 out of 5 stars

Diagnosed with pre-cancerous Actinic Ketosis on my back. Read here, (thank you Earth Clinic for this site and all of you! ) that ACV could help this. Since I'm up for experimenting on myself, I tried it.

I used the ACV straight on the Ketosis after I took a picture of it. It is now healed completely. Also used the ACV straight, no dilution, on my face, and any bumps that I have on my body and under breasts. A small skin nodule under my lip fell off in one day. At first, my skin seemed to get very red, but I think that was the stuff coming out that needed healing. All other bumps (moles, etc.) are getting better but not healed yet.

My husband had a rash on the back of his knee and has been using ACV for the past month and it is much better but not healed yet. ACV rocks!

REPLY   3