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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour doctor can diagnose seborrheic keratosis by inspecting the growth. To confirm the diagnosis or to rule out other skin conditions, your doctor may recommend removal for examination under a microscope.
Typically, seborrheic keratosis doesn't become cancerous, but it can resemble skin cancer. If your doctor suspects skin cancer, he or she will take a small sample of your skin (biopsy) for analysis in a lab. A biopsy can usually be done in a doctor's office using local anesthesia.
- Habif TP. Benign skin tumors. In: Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby, Inc; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/105557461-5/751682561/1195/141.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50022-4--cesec6_2512. Accessed Sept. 24, 2008.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Benign neoplasms of the skin. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 24, 2008.
- Thomas VD, et al. Benign epithelial tumors, hamartomas, and hyperplasias. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/popup.aspx?aID=2981822. Accessed Sept. 24, 2008.
- Seborrheic keratoses. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_seb_keratoses.html. Accessed Sept. 24, 2008.
