treatments for keratoacanthoma
The most common treatment is surgery to remove the keratoacanthoma. You can have the procedure in your doctor’s office with medicine to numb the area around the tumor. There are a few different surgeries your doctor may use. They can: Scrape off the tumor and seal up the wound. Apply liquid nitrogen to freeze and destroy the tumor. This is called cryosurgery. Cut the tumor out and use stitches to close the area. Remove one layer of tissue at a time and examine each one under a microscope to make sure all abnormal cells are gone. This is called Mohs surgery. It’s the most precise way to get rid of keratoacanthoma but also the most expensive. If you can’t have surgery, or if you have multiple keratoacanthomas, you can try other treatments: The chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil. You can get it as a cream to rub on your skin or as a shot. Injections of the chemotherapy drugs bleomycin or methotrexate Radiation Drugs like retinoids that you take by mouth It’s not unusual for a single keratoacanthoma to shrink and disappear on its own after several months. But it may leave a worse scar than one from surgery. It could also come back, so it’s best to get it removed.