Keratosis is a result of production of excessive protein called keratin in the body.  It is commonly noticed on the skin of people who exposes their skin to excessive sunlight without protection. It is also linked with hereditary in some cases. The symptoms of keratosis depend largely on the type of keratosis involved.  Because of the different symptoms involved, it is sometimes diagnosed wrongly as skin cancer, warts or acne.   Some keratosis is benign in nature while some are malignant.  Both of them require adequate examination by a dermatologist. There are different types of keratosis: Keratosis pilaris, acnitic keratosis, Saborreheic keratosis, senile keratosis and follicular keratosis.

Keratosis pilaris, also known as chicken rash, is popular and common and well recognized. Why it is called chicken rash is that the affected area looks like chicken’s skin. The lumps produced by keratosis pilaris are usually small, red in color and appears in group.   Normally, the color changes as time progresses and the size may not increase. Because it is benign, it is not painful and may not itchy.  It also constitutes no danger to health.

Actinic keratosis is also known as solar keratosis or sunspots.  It is a lump like growth on the surface of the skin. The lump can be hard and scaly and the general feel is rough and flat. It is reddish in color in people that are light skinned and light pink in people with darker color.

Seborrheic keratosis has an appearance that looks like a skin wart.  Nevertheless, it is not a wart because the virus triggering wart is not found in it. The lumps are not painful or dangerous to health and will not develop into a skin cancer. It is not transmittable from one person to another and its cause is not ascertained. Though, it is linked with exposure to excessive sunlight and heredity.

Senile keratoses appear as a flat bump on the skin surface.  They have pointed shape and the color is grayish black and can also be seen as pink in some people.  The senile keratosis is soft in nature and appears like warts.  The keratoses spot can be dry and scaly. The bumps are benign.

Follicular keratosis is also called keratosis follicularis, dariers disease etc.  It starts from the hair follicle located inside the skin.  It normally affects people’s hand, ears, nose, foreheads, neck, thighs and abdomen. Its occurrence is very rare as compared to all other types of keratosis mentioned above and it is hereditary in most cases.

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