A new article published in SAGE Open Medical Case Reports discussed that comedonal acne and actinic keratoses – hyperkeratotic, scaly lesions caused by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation, have the ability to progress into squamous cell carcinoma.

Actinic keratoses can occur in patients as young as 20 years, but are more common in those aged 50 years and older. Topical retinoids are recommended as monotherapy in comedonal acne but despite their documented clinical efficacy are underutilized due to concerns related to the cutaneous tolerability.

Evidence suggests that tretinoin lotion 0.05% can confer rapid and sustained improvement of acne, along with improvements in actinic keratoses and photodamage. Hence, this modality can be an attractive area of investigation for the treatment of patients with adult acne and photodamaged skin.

Source: SAGE Open Medical Case Reports. 2020 Jun 7;8:2050313X20929798. doi:10.1177/2050313X20929798.