Porokeratosis has several names that are associated with it. Examples of these variants are basal cell papilloma, senile keratosis, seborrheic verruca, senile warts, barnacles, as well as brown warts. As a clonal keratinization disorder, porokeratosis appears as a cornoid lamella. A cornoid lamella consists of closely stacked parakeratotic cells that spread themselves over the stratum corneum.
Currently, there are five variants of porokeratosis that are known. To list down these variants, they are: punctate porokeratosis, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, classic porokeratosis of Mibelli, porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminate, and linear porokeratosis. In the United States, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis is fairly common. The remaining four variations are rarer in incidence.
Individuals with fair skin are much more susceptible to this disorder. In fact, the disorder is not often seen among darker-skinned individuals.
Porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminate and classic porokeratosis of Mibelli happen twice as much in men than in women. With disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, the signs show up three times as many women than men. On the other hand, linear porokeratosis occurs in men just as much as it does in women.
With regards to the statistics when it comes to age, porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminate and linear porokeratosis can appear at any age. For classic porokeratosis of Mibelli, it commonly first shows up during the patient’s childhood. People afflicted with disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis typically fall within the 30-40 age bracket.
What are the things that may cause porokeratosis? Porokeratosis has been said to be caused by excessive exposure to the sunlight, immunosuppression, ultraviolet light exposure, therapeutic phototherapy, radiation therapy, and heredity. According to a study about renal transplant patients, 10 percent afterwards had porokeratosis.
Patients of porokeratosis have to make sure that they avoid any unnecessary exposure to the sun. They should apply sunblock and wear protective clothing.
Porokeratosis treatment can be done through many techniques. Individualized treatment for patients is the best method. Doctors base the kind of treatment on the patient's preference, the functional and aesthetic considerations, the size of the lesion, the lesion’s anatomical location, and the risk of malignancy.
For numerous patients, sun protection as well as the usage of emollients may be all that is required for relief. The patient must also be watchful for signs of malignant degeneration.
Another method for porokeratosis treatment is surgical care. Lesions that have become malignant as time has progressed need surgery to be performed on them. The most appropriate surgical modality for malignant degeneration is excision. Last but not the least, porokeratosis can also be treated using curettage, diamond fraise dermabrasion, laser therapy, electrodesiccation, and cryotherapy.
