Get Rid of Those Brown Lesions for the New Year

If you have some dark, crusty brown spots that are slightly raised on your skin, you’re not alone. In fact, you have 83 million potential friends with that in common. That’s how many Americans have seborheic keratosis lesions. The growths are harmless, but ugly. In the past the only way to get rid of these lesions was to freeze, burn, or cut them off, but the end result was often a scar.

Now Dr. Musick offers a new treatment for these annoying growths, Eskata. Eskata is a first-of-its-kind liquid treatment for seborrheic keratoses. It removes these growths in just one or two visits. Eskata only became available in April of this year, and Dr. Musick is excited to add this for his patients.

What is a seborrheic keratosis?

Odds are you have at least a couple seborrheic keratoses (SKs). They are one of the most common noncancerous skin growths in older adults. These black, brown, or light tan growths usually appear on the face, chest, shoulders, or back. They are slightly raised and can look waxy or scaly. They can be very small or as big as an inch in diameter.

Why do these form?

The reason why we have seborrheic keratoses is a mystery. They don’t come from sun exposure, as actinic keratoses do. SKs are painless and don’t require any attention. They do tend to run in families, so there is likely a genetic factor involved.

What is Eskata?

Eskata is a high-concentration (40%) hydrogen peroxide-based topical solution that was developed specifically to remove raised seborrheic keratoses. Eskata includes an applicator for targeted treatment of SKs. The FDA approved Eskata to treat SKs on December 14, 2017. It was available to dermatologists, such as Dr. Musick, in April 2018.

How does Eskata work?

After Dr. Musick has determined your brown spots are not cancer or pre-cancerous, he carefully applies the highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide liquid to each targeted lesion with the included applicator. Then he waits one minute and reapplies Eskata. This is repeated four times to complete the treatment. Afterwards, the lesion will scab over and then peel off. You’ll see Dr. Musick again after around three weeks. If your treated raised SKs are not clear, he can apply one additional treatment. Some SKs are gone after one treatment, but others may require a second treatment.  They may not completely clear, but should dramatically be reduced in visibility.

Interested in saying goodbye to those raised brown and black spots for the New Year? Contact Dr. Musick at (618) 628-2588 to make your appointment.