To prevent actinic keratosis (AK), attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Consumption of stimulants
- Tobacco (smoking)
- Recreational or occupational exposure to UV radiation (UV-A rays (315-380 nm), UV-B rays (280-315 nm); sun; solarium.
Environmental exposure – intoxications (poisonings).
- Damage to the skin by UV radiation (UVA, UVB; sun; solarium); recognized occupational disease (occupational disease list, BK list) in the presence of multiple actinic keratoses of the skin by UV radiation.
- Infrared radiation
- X-ray radiation/ionizing radiation
- Anthracene
- Arsenic
- Benzpyrene
- Crude kerosene wax
- Carbon black
- Tar products (lignite tar/lignite workers) and other hydrocarbons.
Every patient with statutory health insurance is entitled to skin cancer screening every 2 years from the age of 35. Routine skin self-examination (“skin self-examination”, SSE) is also desirable.
Prevention factors (protective factors)
- Behavioral factors
- Avoidance of strong sunlight (stay outdoors between 11 am and 3:00 pm to avoid UV index).
- Wearing suitable clothing, sunglasses
- Application of sunscreen UV sunscreen).
- Patients with previously 2 non-melanoma skin cancers in the past 5 years: In one study, these patients were treated with 500 mg nicotinamide (vitamin B 3) 2 times daily for 1 year or with placebo, with follow-up examinations at 3-month intervals. Patients treated with nicotinamide had 11% fewer actinic keratoses than patients in the placebo group after 3 months, 14% after 6 months, 20% after 9 months and 11% after 12 months.
Secondary prevention
- Early skin cancer detection (skin cancer screening) using dermoscopy (reflected light microscopy; increases diagnostic confidence).
- Self-examinations
