You can freeze off some types of age spots at home although not all age spots can be frozen off.
However warts and seborrheic keratosis respond well to removal by freezing them off.
It's not recommended to try and freeze off age spots at home or attempt cryotherapy "freezing" of age spots at home as it can cause burns and other complications if it's not done correctly.
To freeze off spots and age spots dermatologists will use liquid nitrogen for the cryotherapy which is more potent and more precise than at home freeze off remedies.
Crusty age spots are often caused by years of sun exposure which causes abnormal growth of skin cells that lead to the buildup of dead skin cells on the surface.
Age spots are also known as liver spots or sun spots and are flat or slightly raised and discolored patches of skin which appear most often on areas which have been exposed to the sun for several years.
Prolonged exposure to UV rays from the sun or from tanning beds can also damage your skin cells and lead to the abnormal growth of keratinocytes which are skin cells and the abnormal growth can also result in the buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin and cause your skin to appear, rough, scaly and crusty.
The types of age spots are seborrheic keratosis which are benign, wart like growths which are also common in older adults and actinic keratosis which is rough, scaly patches which are also common precancerous skin lesions.
Crusty bumps on your skin can be actinic keratosis or solar keratosis or seborrheic keratosis, eczema, psoriasis or even folliculitis which is a hair follicle infection.
Dark crusty spots on skin can be seborrheic keratosis, psoriasis, impetigo actinic keratosis or even certain skin cancers.
Actinic keratosis is scaly or crusty spots on the skin that is caused by sun damage and often appear on your face, scalp, arms and hands and can be a precursor to skin cancer so it's import to see a doctor about the dark crusty spots on your skin.
Seborrheic keratosis is a common and non cancerous skin growth which appears as a waxy or scaly and slightly raised spot and often is brow, light tan or black in color and are more common with age.
Psoriasis is a condition that causes flaky and crusty patches of skin that is covered with silvery scales and can appear as dark patches on darker skin tones.
Impetigo is a contagious skin infection which also causes sores or blisters on the skin that burst and then leave crusty, golden brown patches and is most common in children although adults can also get impetigo.
Other conditions that can cause dark crusty spots on the skin are seborrheic dermititis, squamous cell carcinoma, nodular melanoma and other conditions such as pityriasis versicolor (a fungal infection), ichthyosis (a genetic condition causing dry, scaly skin), and acanthosis nigricans (dark patches in skin folds) can also cause dark, crusty spots
Pre skin cancers are called actinic keratosis which is a common precancerous skin lesions that is caused by the prolonged exposure to sun.
Actinic keratosis can appear as rough, scaly or crusty patches of skin and is often red, pink or brown in color and they may feel like sandpaper and are often found on areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun such as the hands, arms, scalp and face.
Actinic keratosis is highly treatable if treated soon enough to prevent them from turning into cancer.
Treatment for actinic keratosis include freezing also known as cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy, surgical excision and a topical cream called 5 fluorouracil.
If actinic keratosis is left untreated it can turn into skin cancer like squamous cell carcnioma which can be deadly.
5 fluorouracil that is applied topically is absorbed into your body and stays in your system for several days and gradually breaks down and it may take up to a week or so before the topical fluorouracil fully leaves your system.
If you're getting the 5 fluorouracil through and IV infusion it is rapidly eliminated from your system and body and has a half life of around 8 minutes to 24 minutes and most of the 5 fluorouracil is metabolized and then excreted in your urine within 24 hours.
Topical fluorouracil cream is used to treat skin conditions called actinic keratosis which is a type of precancerous growth and is also called solar keratosis.
The skin condition actinic keratosis can create rough scaly patches that often appear on the skin of your face, ears or scalp and can be caused by too much sun exposure.
You can put Vaseline over fluorouracil after the fluorouracil has been absorbed by the skin which is often 1 hour after applying the fluorouracil.
Applying Vaseline over the fluorouracil can help soothe and moisturize your skin and can really help during the recovery phase.
You can also put some Aquaphor over the fluorouracil after it's absorbed into the skin after an hour.
Fluorouracil is a chemotherapy agent which is used on your skin to treat skin cancer as well as certain kinds of skin conditions which could become cancer.
Fluorouracil ma be used for other purposes as well and can be used to treat rough, raised areas of heavily sun exposed skin also known as actinic or solar keratosies and can also treat skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma.
Common brand names of fluorouracil are Fluroplex, Efudex and Tolak.
Fluorouracil works by killing fast-growing cells such as the abnormal cells in actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma.
Fluorouracil is in a class of medications called antimetabolites.
Once you start using fluorouracil cream it often starts to work within 2 to 4 weeks for actinic keratosis and skin cancers although it may take 1 to 2 months for full healing.
During the initial response when using fluorouracil you will often notice redness, irritation and even possible scabbing within a couple days to a couple of weeks of starting treatment with fluorouracil which is normal as the fluoruracil cream destroys the damaged cells.
The possible side effects that can occur when iusing topical fluorouracil are local skin reactions like skin dryness, redness, burning, itching, pain and even possible swelling at the site where you applied fluorouracil cream.
If you have any of these side effects you should let your doctor know.
Fluorouracil cream is often applied for 2 to 4 weeks although you may need to use it longer depending on the condition being treated and your doctor's instructions.
Even after you stop using fluorouracil cream it may take several weeks for your skin to fully heal and for the treated areas to return to normal.
And your skin may also be more sensitive than normal to sunlight during and after treatment with fluorouracil so you should protect the treated area from sun exposure.