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With cryotherapy, doctors spray liquid nitrogen on a growth to freeze and destroy it. You may feel a burning sensation for several seconds. The treated area turns pink and forms a blister, which peels off. This procedure can be performed in the doctor's office.

Cryotherapy is a very effective treatment in more than 85 percent of people.

Doctors may use a cream called 5-fluorouracil, a form of topical chemotherapy, to destroy numerous actinic keratoses. For example, the cream may be useful for people who have precancerous growths covering the entire back of their hands or a section of their face. This medication may also be used to treat a very early basal cell cancer.

It can be applied daily at home for a number of weeks and may cause skin irritation, redness, blisters, or open sores. Side effects subside after treatment.

Another cream contains the immune-boosting medication imiquimod. It may be prescribed to treat an actinic keratosis or a very early basal cell cancer. You apply imiquimod to the lesion several times a week at home. Imiquimod may also cause skin irritation and redness, but this is temporary.

A gel containing a medication called diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), may be used to treat actinic keratosis. You apply it to your skin twice a day for two to three months. Skin irritation, which may include redness, swelling, and tingling, occurs less frequently with diclofenac than with other topical medications.

Ingenol mebutate is a cytotoxic gel, meaning it destroys fast-growing cells. It’s usually used for only two to three days, but it can irritate the skin, causing redness, swelling, or crusting, which eventually goes away after treatment.

Doctors at �ٺ���Ƶ may use an outpatient procedure known as photodynamic therapy to treat actinic keratosis on areas such as the scalp and face.

In this procedure, a doctor applies a topical medication to the skin, which collects in precancerous cells, making them sensitive to light. He or she activates the medication with a laser, which destroys the lesion. This therapy can cause redness, irritation, and sun sensitivity, and so our doctors suggest covering up and wearing sunscreen. Side effects usually subside after a few weeks.