Seborrheic Keratosis Help!

Posted by crystalranae @crystalranae, Feb 20, 2025

Has anyone found anything that truly works to get rid of Seborrheic keratosis? I have 100’s on my arms and legs and now they are starting on my stomach. I refuse to wear short sleeves or shorts because they are so ugly😢 They are taking over my body and I can’t find any help.

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Profile picture for 56huxley @sjs1

@ms91849
Don't you mean AK's -doesn't work on SK's. SK's are the topic of this post, they are only destroyed by freezing or a laser or a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Carac (fluorouracil) , Aldara etc are for pre canerous AK lesions. Much more serious than SK's which are not cancerous. I have to pay 200 at my dermatologist's office to have SK's zapped by liquid nitrogen . I had the 40 percent hydrogen peroxide treatment for SK's and it took 2 treatments and was more expensive and they don't use it any more. I'm on a regime of fluoruracil 5 percent now for AK's and when I get back to the dermatologists office in February I will have him freeze the SK's. He wanted me to go to the plastic surgeon to use a laser to ablate it since it's on my cheek and he didn't want his freezing it to leave a scar. That!s overkill at my age.

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@sjs1 have you tried diclofenac gel? I have been using this for 2 weeks 2x per day and have seen significant shrinkage.

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It is not used for seborrheic keratoses (SKs)
SKs are benign growths. Diclofenac has no proven effect on them - I read.
So dermatologists don’t mention it unless AKs are the issue. I use the stronger medicines for AK's and have never been prescribed this drug.

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Profile picture for jan0000 @jan0000

@sjs1 have you tried diclofenac gel? I have been using this for 2 weeks 2x per day and have seen significant shrinkage.

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@jan0000 no I have never tried that

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@elisargurr Thanks for the suggestion. I will try Aloe ffrom the płant. That is one thing i havent tried yet.

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❤️

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Profile picture for kolshansky @kolshansky

Let’s not make treating Seborrheic Keratoses complicated.
Set up an appointment(s) with your dermatologist for liquid nitrogen treatments. Almost zero risks, simple and very effective!!

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@kolshansky
200.00 $ to freeze 10 SK's at my dermatologist's office. Much better is a self care routine to reduce appearance of SK's appearing all over the legs and to freeze the ones that are stubborn to control. In the past. on my face I paid 200.00 $ for one SK to be removed but the dermatologist is conservative and does not freeze deeply worried it will leave a scar, so I needed to pay another 200.00 $ to have it removed entirely at the next office visit. I paid 800.00 $ for two Eskata hydrogrn peroxide treatments. Cost 400.00 per treatment. The office does not use Eskata treatments any longer. The dermatologist does not want to leave a scar removing the SK that's on my cheek now and advised me to get a laser treatment. Instead, I'll just get him to remove "some " of it at the next office visit by freezing again which will probably take two treatments to fully destroy it without scarring. It's a cosmetic procedure.

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Profile picture for 56huxley @sjs1

@crystalranae

Home Routine for Seborrheic Keratoses (SKs) on Legs

(Safe, dermatologist-aligned, and realistic)

Daily Routine (AM + PM)

AM (Morning)
1. Gentle cleanse (optional) – warm water only or a mild soap.
2. Apply plain moisturizer to legs:
• CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
• Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
• Eucerin Advanced Repair

Purpose: keeps SKs soft and prevents itching or rubbing under clothing.

PM (Night)

Every night:
• Apply lactic acid lotion (10–12%) or glycolic acid 10% over the entire lower leg area.
• AmLactin 12% (lactic)
• Alpha Skin Care Renewal 10% (glycolic)

This gradually smooths the texture of SK clusters and makes them less “stuck on.”

Targeted Treatment (3 nights per week)

Apply only to thicker or raised SK bumps:
• Urea 40% cream (dab with a Q-tip)

Brands:
• Urea 40
• PurSources 40%
• Glytone Urea 40%

Purpose: softens and thins the SK without irritation.

Optional Weekly “Softening Mask” (once a week)

Do this if the patches are very rough.
1. Soak legs 5–10 minutes in warm water.
2. Pat dry (do NOT rub).
3. Apply 10% glycolic or AmLactin.
4. Put on soft cotton leggings for 1 hour.

This gives a temporary smoothing effect and helps active products penetrate better.

Expected Timeline
• 2–3 weeks: legs feel smoother, less flaking
• 4–6 weeks: SKs look flatter and blend more with normal skin
• 8+ weeks: best cosmetic improvement visible
(Home treatment won’t remove them fully but can make them far less noticeable.)

Important Safety Notes

✔ Do NOT use wart freezing sprays — these scar legs.
✔ Do NOT pick, scratch, or peel SKs.
✔ Stop acids if skin becomes irritated or raw.
✔ Moisturizer is essential on days when skin feels dry.

When to Consider a Quick Dermatology Visit

If any SK is:
• itchy
• rubbed by clothing
• darkening or changing
• repeatedly irritated

→ A derm can freeze multiple spots in a single affordable session, often cheaper than laser.

( From ChatGPT 5.1)

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@sjs1 Thank you so much!

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Profile picture for 56huxley @sjs1

@kolshansky
200.00 $ to freeze 10 SK's at my dermatologist's office. Much better is a self care routine to reduce appearance of SK's appearing all over the legs and to freeze the ones that are stubborn to control. In the past. on my face I paid 200.00 $ for one SK to be removed but the dermatologist is conservative and does not freeze deeply worried it will leave a scar, so I needed to pay another 200.00 $ to have it removed entirely at the next office visit. I paid 800.00 $ for two Eskata hydrogrn peroxide treatments. Cost 400.00 per treatment. The office does not use Eskata treatments any longer. The dermatologist does not want to leave a scar removing the SK that's on my cheek now and advised me to get a laser treatment. Instead, I'll just get him to remove "some " of it at the next office visit by freezing again which will probably take two treatments to fully destroy it without scarring. It's a cosmetic procedure.

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@sjs1
You make good sense. My experience has been my dermatologists will do 10-15 at a time for about $200.
If you have a simple home treatment that works, of course that is better and cheaper. Thanks for your response.

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I have noticed that the SK lesions are really numerous where my bra touches my skin, and I do need to wear a bra so have ordered some for sensitive skin…will post if they help.
One month ago I started applying tazarotene .1% cream twice a day. Supposed to do this for 3 months. It is making a difference…the really large lesions are already much smaller and some of the small ones are gone. It can be very uncomfortable, have had to take a 3 day break but am back at it now. I have about 80 SK on my front and most are where the bra rubs. Will keep you posted. Anyone else have experience with tazarotene cream?

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I use the Amlactin Cream in a jar. It has helped greatly with these. It takes time but, I have had at least 3 of them
to exfoliate to the point of being gone. I put this on every day. I had a large thick one on my ankle and it is
completely gone. Again, it takes time. I apply after bathing and toweled down skin. I would use a dry wash cloth after a couple of weeks and rub the area and the skin was flake off until it the SK was completely gone. My jaw line had 2 and I applied a coating every night. I rubbed with a dry wash cloth and they are gone too. It comes off like dry dead skin. My Dermatologist told me to try this. I am not sure if it would work for the large ones or not.

I have others I am working on now too. Wishing you the best. Prayers & Blessings...

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My husband's dermatologist prescribed Zoryve foam to control his scaling. It seems to work but is very expensive and hard to find a pharmacy who can get it. Our insurance covers it but the pharmacy says they have 100 patients waiting for it and only get about 20 a week. He has to wait until they finally send him one. It is very frustrating.

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