Listen to what your marks whisper to you
About Actinic Keratosis
Affecting mostly elderly people, actinic keratosis (AK) is a common reality that can be manifested and developed in different ways, as a consequence of overexposure to UV rays1. AK lesions are usually small, crusty patches of skin showing different colors, from flesh-toned to red or pink, feeling dry, rough to the touch, and sometimes may be invisible at first sight.2 However, they are recurrent and could eventually lead to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).3-8
They’re just the tip of the iceberg; a superficial manifestation of a whole story that hides behind.
Our skin has a unique story to tell: a story of a life full of emotions, moments, experiences… and overexposure to UV rays.
It is time to listen to what the marks on our skin are whispering to us, so that we can act in time.
Because behind each AK mark there is a unique story that needs to be heard.
If we listen to what our marks have to tell us, we can respond in time. Since 40-80% of skin cancers* evolve from simple AK lesions9-11, it is really important to pay attention to the appearance and evolution of any marks so that they can be properly checked and treated.
And this is the message that moved Almirall to launch the #1stAKGlobalDay’s campaign.
*Squamous skin cancers.
For more information about the campaign, visit Euromelanoma's site.
#AKGlobalDay
On 24th of May of 2022 during the Skin Cancer Month, in collaboration with Euromelanoma and AEDV Fundación Piel Sana, the first edition of the AK Global Day becomes a reality: an international date born with the aim of making sure the general population know what actinic keratosis is and the importance of checking every suspicious mark in your skin with your dermatologists to be able to detect it and treat it at an early stage.
To inaugurate this Day we are launching ‘AK Stories’: the first documentary that sheds light on 6 different real stories about actinic keratosis told in first person by Dermatologist experts and patients across Europe.
Following, watch the documentary so you get to know in detail what AK marks whisper to you.
References
1. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/actinic-keratosis/. Last access: May 2022.
2. Peris K, et al. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2007;5(11):970-9
3. Stockfleth E, et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29(2):298-306.
4. Criscione VD, et al. Cancer. 2009;115:2523-2530.
5. Fernandez-Figueras MT, et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29(5):991-997.
6. Werner RN et al. Br. J. Dermatol 2013;169: 502–518.
7. Skov T. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) 2018;8:425-33.
8. Reinhold UA .review. Future Oncol 2017. Lond. Engl. 13: 2413–2428.
9. Stockfleth E, et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29(2):298-306.
10. Criscione VD, et al. Cancer. 2009;115:2523-2530.
11. Fernández-Figueras MT, et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29(5):991-997.