They show up like background noise: a stubborn flake, a crusty edge, a tiny island of roughness that never quite matches the skin around it. You catch it in the mirror, under your fingers, in the way a shirt snags on your shoulder. Easy to dismiss, easier to postpone. But actinic keratoses are not cosmetic quirks; they’re quiet evidence of sun that went too deep and stayed too long.
Letting a dermatologist look is not panic, it’s prevention. A short visit, a bright light, a practiced eye—sometimes a quick freeze with liquid nitrogen, a course of cream, or a targeted light therapy—and those altered cells are pushed back before they choose a more dangerous path. What should frighten you isn’t the appointment; it’s the idea of giving these patches years to decide what they’ll become. When your skin raises a small, rough question, the bravest answer is to have it checked.
