Seborrheic Keratosis - at Home Treatment (Cure)
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Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:58 am

Sorry to be a party spoiler but have any of you considered that hydrogen peroxide may actually be bad for you? There's a good body of evidence implicating it as a carcinogen. I'd hate to see all you good people with the best of intentions regretting this sorely some day. I really urge you to do a bit of research on this subject before recommending it to anyone else or trying it out on yourselves.

free skin care · Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:40 pm

I found something in a book I'm reading, about keratosis. The book's called anti-ageing prescriptions by Dr James A. Duke.

Keratosis are small,warty growths that become more common with age. Unfortunately they sometimes turn into malignant melanomas.
When my friend Bill Thomson, former editor of Natural Health magazine, developed a keratosis, he took his treatment into his own hands. Here's his story.
'In 1998, a keratosis appeared on my chest. My doctor said, "Let's get rid of that, just to be safe." She wanted to either burn it or cut it out.
'Instead, I applied a small amount of fresh garlic oil, fresh aloe gel, and bloodroot tincture, all in combination. Then I covered the keratosis with the section of aloe leaf that I had taken the gel from.
'After two evenings of treatment, the keratosis withered and fell off. It has shown no signs of returning.'

Thought I'd share. Smile

Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:17 pm

Hmm. I wonder about that quote you have given here. First up it gives the impression that seborrheic keratoses can develop into malignant melanomas. There's no evidence for this. Secondly bloodroot has reasonable potential to cause harm. I suggest you look this one up too.

There's potential in the use of a D3 derivative. A new trial suggests that it could be quite effective. D3 is one of those vitamins that is essential for good health. Too much can lead to serious problems but the right amount has great benefits. So caution is needed with this also. From studies it seems that it may work on SKs both taken as a pill and as a topical ointment.

The D3 pathway is reasonably complex and involves the liver and the kidneys. With a bit of thought it could be envisaged that getting SKs could be related to a lack of D3 or a malfunction in the D3 pathways. Thus, not getting enough sunlight on the skin, inadequate D3 in the diet, problems with the liver or kidneys could lead to conditions that allow SKs to appear. Conversely, healing these organs or getting reasonable intakes of this vitamin may cause SKs to disappear.

SKs then could be seen as resulting from sub-optimum health or sub-optimum nutrition. Although I am only making an educated guess at this, it makes more sense to see the issue in this light rather than just treating it as something to put a cream or ointment on in the hope they go away.

free skin care · Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:53 am

The quote doesn't mention exactly what kind of keratosis this person had. Since having a little google, I think it was probably a solar keratosis. As for bloodroot, again after some googling it looks like it's used alot for warts, keratosis, ringworm and moles. It needs to be used with care, as does alot of things. I'd think that if the mixture could be used to remove solar keratosis it would probably also work on SK's. I'd try it myself if I had one to try it on.

free skin care · Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:36 am

chrisso - do you know of studies that proved to be effective in SK treatments, so that the patients got SK-free skin? Can you please post links to them. Thanks

Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:00 am

I'm not allowed to post links to external websites as a new member but you if you type in anti-tumor effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in google you should be able to find the study.

To demystify the language used there: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 is laboratory made and equivalent to the active form of D3, the end product of the D3 pathways I mentioned earlier.

It has been used prior to this study to successfully treat psoriasis and some cancers so in some ways it should be no surprise that it could work on SKs. Reading the study you can see that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 is anti-proliferative, that being the reason it works so well on those 3 classes of disease, each of those diseases being marked by an unnatural dividing (excessive reproduction) of cells.

It has also been shown to be safe so far in other studies. There are 2 factors to consider with safety. What is the mechanism of action and how do clinical trials work out. You'll find with a bit of investigating that both hydrogen peroxide and bloodroot have mechanisms of action that are potentially dangerous.

free skin care · Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:33 pm

Thanks chrisso. My husband has light form of psoriasis, and while being in the sun helps him to reduce or eliminate the problem, topical applications & oral intake of vitamin D were not that successful. Some time ago I read case studies on resveratrol + Vit D, and mixed it for him, but it did not work up to the expectations. Psoriasis is different from SK though. Also I have good diet, and according to blood work have enough Vit D, but it did not prevent SK. I would be interested to know actual SK success stories with those treatments, or maybe someone would be willing to give it a try.

Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:03 pm

Hello everyone,
I have been following this forum for a while with great interest as I have SKs and so far am too chicken to try full-strength 35% Hydrogen Peroxide. I've been gradually increasing the proportions, but so far haven't reached one that affects the spots.
-Kalisa

I found this article about D Vitamin and SK on the web:

Link: (put dots where I put =s)ncbi=nlm=nih=gov/pubmed/9627701

1: J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 1996 Apr;1(1):94-6.Links
Anti-tumor effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) in seborrheic keratosis.
Asagami C, Muto M, Hirota T, Shimizu T, Hamamoto Y.

Department of Dermatology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Japan.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) is a drug with potent antiproliferative action on keratinocytes that have nuclear receptors for 1,25(OH)2D3. We investigated the effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on widespread seborrheic keratoses in 51 patients with these tumors. The data indicated that resolution of these tumors was dependent on both tumor size and dose of 1,25(OH)2D3. Among 15 patients treated with a high dose (0.5 microgram/d) of oral 1,25(OH)2D3, the lesions of widespread seborrheic keratoses changed from brown-black papules to brownish papules with erythema and/or crust as early as 2 wk after the start of treatment. The tumors finally developed into an atrophic scar or brownish pigmented macule. Histologically, vacuolation of the spinous cells, vesicle formation, and liquefaction degeneration of the basaloid cells were observed. Numerous lymphocytes had infiltrated in the papillary dermis. Among 36 patients treated with a low dose (0.25 microgram/d) of 1,25(OH)2D3, brownish papules became pale to normal in color and reduced in size, without erythematous change. Histologically, acanthosis of the epidermis was reduced, but degenerative change of the tumor cells was not observed. These data suggest that oral therapy of 1,25(OH)2D3 is an acceptable method well suited to the removal of seborrheic keratoses, especially those that are predominantly small tumors.

PMID: 9627701 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:29 pm

1 IU of Vitamin D(3) is equal to 0.025 micrograms of cholecalciferol. The vitamin D3 I bought at Trader Joe's is 1000 IU per tablet.

If anyone can figure out from the article posted above what dosages (how many IUs) we should take to try this approach to getting rid of SKs, many thanks! Very Happy

The article also explains that the threshold levels previously established may be low:

"Potential changes to the recommended Upper Limit (UL) for vitamin D:
Experts Recommend Vitamin D 10,000 IU Upper Limit -------
The tolerable upper intake level for oral vitamin D3 should be increased five-fold, experts from the US-based Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) have said after a review of the science.

The risk assessment provides companies with a guide for safe upper levels for product formulations, and consumers with vital information on safe dosage levels from products.

“This risk assessment was needed to show that newer evidence supports the conclusion that vitamin D is much safer then previously thought, particularly because of all the emergence research that shows benefit for vitamin D at higher levels than consumers were traditionally taking,” lead author John Hathcock said.

Currently, the tolerable upper intake level (UL) in Europe and the US is set at 2000 International Units (IU), equivalent to 50 micrograms per day. However, recent research, particularly from clinical trials, suggests that this should be raised. The CRN scientists state that this could be raised to 10,000 IU (250 micrograms per day)."

Site: (Put dot where I put =) globalrph=com/vitamin_d=htm

free skin care · Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:46 pm

Kalisa - interesting. If you will be able to carry out the trial and document the treatment and findings we might learn more about this approach.

Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:53 pm

Hi Mpstat!
I just have to figure out the dosages! Laughing

-Kalisa

free skin care · Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:12 pm

Kalisa - keep us posted! Smile

Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:03 pm

Hi Kalisa,

There's a problem with knowing what dosage to take in that the the form of D3 that the study used is not the same as the D3 you get as a pill from the drugstore. The D3 you can get as a pill is cholecalciferol and this has to go through 2 processes before it becomes the active form of D3. It has to be processed by the liver and the kidneys to finally form calcitriol.

In the study they used .25 micrograms as the low dose and .5 micrograms as the high dose. In terms of international units this is only 10 and 20 respectively. Nothing like the amount of unconverted D3 typically in a pill. 20-30 minutes of sunshine can easily result in the production of 10,000 IUs of cholecalciferol, 10 times the regular dosage of an over the counter pill. Those with more melanin in the skin need to spend longer in the sun to achieve the same effect.

Sounds like an easy fix .. to spend time in the sun but it can be a 2 edged sword as well. Too many UVs can lead to skin cancer. Just as a guess I think the wisest thing if you are living in a high UV area is to get your sun in the morning or evening when the rays are not as intense.

cheers chrisso

free skin care · Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:35 pm

Did anyone mention liquid nitrogen?

That's how my derm gets rid of them for me. Sometimes it requires more than one treatment.

free skin care · Mon Oct 26, 2009 6:53 am

Being in the sun helped with psoriasis, but for SK it is a different story. Sun exposure actually triggered and worsened SK. For SK sun is not a good thing at all, quite opposite.

chrisso - For treatments with taking vit D orally - Do you know where to buy vit D used in the study?

free skin care · Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:12 am

chinachatters wrote:

Did anyone mention liquid nitrogen?

That's how my derm gets rid of them for me. Sometimes it requires more than one treatment.

Chinachatters - thanks for posting on liquid nitrogen. We are discussing what can be done to treat SK at home without even going to the doctors, because in most cases doctors are not interested in treating SK at all. Plus the methods they offer are not suitable for treating large areas affected by SK ( for example hundreds of SK scattered over the back, or huge old crusty SK ). Many arrive to this thread because they have been frustrated with derms, and there are next to nothing solutions for self-help. So we either had live with those nasty looking embarrassing SK, or take matters in our own hands.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:44 pm

chrisso wrote:

Hi Kalisa,

There's a problem with knowing what dosage to take in that the the form of D3 that the study used is not the same as the D3 you get as a pill from the drugstore. The D3 you can get as a pill is cholecalciferol and this has to go through 2 processes before it becomes the active form of D3. It has to be processed by the liver and the kidneys to finally form calcitriol.

In the study they used .25 micrograms as the low dose and .5 micrograms as the high dose. In terms of international units this is only 10 and 20 respectively. Nothing like the amount of unconverted D3 typically in a pill. 20-30 minutes of sunshine can easily result in the production of 10,000 IUs of cholecalciferol, 10 times the regular dosage of an over the counter pill. Those with more melanin in the skin need to spend longer in the sun to achieve the same effect.

Sounds like an easy fix .. to spend time in the sun but it can be a 2 edged sword as well. Too many UVs can lead to skin cancer. Just as a guess I think the wisest thing if you are living in a high UV area is to get your sun in the morning or evening when the rays are not as intense.

cheers chrisso

Hi Kalisa,
I am I came across this forum and it has alot of interesting information on here. I saw one person say they thought they got SK from the sun. I am pretty sure that is how I came across mine. I live in BC Canada and not a hot climate by any standards. I do know that when I went to Mexico 10 years ago, that is when it started. SInce then every time I go in the sun they are more noticeable and I get more of them. I try to avoid the sun as much as possible with out covering up.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:04 pm

chinachatters wrote:

Did anyone mention liquid nitrogen?

That's how my derm gets rid of them for me. Sometimes it requires more than one treatment.

I did have that done about a month ago (for the second time) all it did was leave me with nasty marks on my legs(thought I would try again). Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Now that they have healed, the bumps are still there (did not work again) and now I have marks as well.

I just got diagnosed with SK after a biopsy. I have suffered with it for years and they get worse with every passing year.

I was told I had skin allergy, sun bumps, etc and then lastly flat warts and for 3 years have been afraid for my kids to touch my bare legs (way to embarassed to tell my partner I had warts)no one new what they were or how to treat them(still looking).They really did look like falt warts. I have hundreds all over my lower legs, some upper, few on my arms. Most are unnoticeable, until it hits the light.Some are ligt brown, they look like beauty marks from the sun.

The skin DR i am seeing now said there are other treatments, but are very pricey. I have no idea what to do, so I am on here searching......hopeful.

Though there may be a risk I may try the H020 treatment.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:43 pm

Mishey wrote:

Antonia wrote:

Update: three evenings ago, I applied the 17% Scholls Salicylic Acid corn/callus remover to the SKs on my shoulders and tummy. I repeated twice a day and, this morning, they peeled right off!!! I was going to spend a fortune having them lasered so I'm thrilled about this.

I just put some on the teeny-weeny skin tags to the front of my underarms.

Please let us know how it works on those teeny weeny skin tags. I keep getting them in the front of and under my armpits. Most bothersome. There's always something happening to us isn't there. Rolling Eyes

This may sound barbaric, but I get those pesky skin tags around my neck area. I use to get them burned off(pain in the neck,lol) anyway I came across a forum like this and said to tie a string on and leave it, let them fall off I have not tried that). One also said to just rip them off(sounds bad, but it really doesn't hurt much, not if you can stand burning your skin with acid or h020, by the sounds of it, you should be able to handle the rip it off method). I have heard this is really not a good thing to do, but now I no longer go to the Dr have pain in the neck for days from burning my skin.I also had one surgically removed for my....well you can imagine. I had it cut off and stitched, it hurt for weeks. Never, I repeat NEVER would i do that again. I got another one a couple of years later and ripped it off, was way less painful and healed way faster and have never had one there since. Now seems that is a sensitive area and prone to moisture, I would be very careful doing it there(but it worked for me with way less pain) I just grab from the root and give a good pull, pops off bleeds a bit dries up and gone. However mine are very small(enough to grab though) and I use a anti bacterial cream on the area after. I realize this is not probably the best solution, nor am I recomending it, but for those who want another method, I read, I tried, it worked.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 9:06 pm

Jax wrote:

Scottishgal - Did you use the 3% strength H202 or did you get the stronger one? I ended up wearing a tight-ish thin tee shirt under my clothes for a few days to avoid the bra. It was in the middle of winter so I was able to layer my work clothes with tops and blazers so it wasn't too noticeable.

Like mpstat wrote, please do keep us posted

I am new to this, so I am not sure Iam posting right, but ScottishGAl..... I have them on my chest legs(mostly) arms all over. The ones on my chest have the least amount.

While reading this forum, I remembered something. When I first saw the Sk I was told they were flat warts and the DR said OMG this is the worst case of flat warts I have ever seen. There is nothing I can do for you.period. I was horrified, balled my eyes out, but was not going to give up. I cam across a web site(i paid had to pay to find this info) it had natural cures for warts. Seems the treatments they do offer for Sk are pretty much the same as flat warts, I wonder if this would work on the chest area, without causing discomfort. I will have to go back and find the other cures they offered, but this is one you could try(can't hurt) it was either castor oil or cod liver oil(i will check and get back to you if anyone is interested) and baking soda. I have to say I did not give it a good shot(you are supposed to do it every day for about 6 weeks) I got tired of the mess and how much area to treat, plus i was trying other things, got bummed out and gave up. Truth is i forgot about them for awhile and just remembered the treatment while reading this forum. I am going to give it a try on a small area, as it is so much work(as I have so many)and is messy. I am not good on follow through. I like quick and easy. Has anyone else ever heard or tried this method?

Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:59 pm

I've had a go myself at the Vitamin D. I took 1 pill (1,000 iu)per day for 23 days. Around about the 17th day, a couple of the smaller keratoses started getting crusty and the surfaces came off. It's a small indication that at higher doses it may be effective. At this stage I'm not willing to move to a higher dose, in fact I have discontinued using it for now.

A bit of extra research has come up with some other potential treatments. Some say that anti-dandruff shampoo containing selenium sulfide will get rid of them. I am trying this at the moment using it in the same way one would use it to treat fungal infections. I put some on undiluted, leave it for 10 mins, then wash it off completely. So far it has reduced the size of the keratoses. I'll post back in a couple of weeks to tell you if it can get rid of them completely.

Another possibility is turmeric. You make a paste and rub it on. It affects only the keratoses and has no visible effect on skin (no red marks, swelling etc). It can stain clothes etc quite easily so you need to be careful.

Another one is mullein. Take leaves and roots of a young plant, pressure cook them, cool and apply. Keep refrigerated. There is a patent for this. There are no reports of redness of skin or other complications with this either.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:06 am

Hello, This is my first post and am thrilled to read others success stories in removing SK. I have cried my share of tears over being ashamed of my condition. It runs heavy on my mothers side for generations. I am waiting on my shipment of the 35% H202 and am anxious to start the treatment. I do have a few questions, Do the SK's come back after removal? Does the treatment work for skin tags? and wonder if others have the combination of SK's and cherry angioma? Thank You for this thread. I now see a light at the end of my tunnel.

Wed Dec 30, 2009 10:08 pm

I haven't had the time to follow through with trying out the selenium sulfide treatment so I have nothing to add as yet. Holidays have started now so I'll see if I can get the routine going.

I've ordered some turmeric cream to try out as well. See how that goes.

free skin care · Sun Jan 10, 2010 1:16 pm

glenss wrote:

Hello, This is my first post and am thrilled to read others success stories in removing SK. I have cried my share of tears over being ashamed of my condition. It runs heavy on my mothers side for generations. I am waiting on my shipment of the 35% H202 and am anxious to start the treatment. I do have a few questions, Do the SK's come back after removal? Does the treatment work for skin tags? and wonder if others have the combination of SK's and cherry angioma? Thank You for this thread. I now see a light at the end of my tunnel.

Hi glenss

- I have not tried hydrogen peroxide treatment for skin tags, so do not know if it works. If you try and it works please let us know.

A friend of mine recommended oregano essential oil (EO) on skin tags. It should be good undiluted oregano EO, and with careful applications. Most of the oils are diluted or not of a good quality. I tried several brands and know there is tremendous difference between them. With a brand I use now the oregano oil was so strong that I got burned, while other brands were quite mild. I now suspect that with good oil of oregano it is possible to treat other skin conditions including SK. Just a thought.

The best with your H2O2 SK treatments!

Sun Jan 10, 2010 3:36 pm

This is my first post, so I hope I do this right. I have barnacles (seborrheic keratosis). I've had them removed at the dermatologist's office several different ways and continue to have them. Now I just remove them at home by taking a hot shower, then I just pinch up the skin that the SK is on with one hand and scrape it off with my finger nail of the other hand while it is still soft from the shower. The spot will bleed for a minute or two and then it will be fine. Will take a few days to heal, but the keratosis will be gone. Won't work for all of them, but I have done this on the larger ones. Sounds painful, but it isn't. My dermatologist did this but he scraped them off with some kind of small utensil with a blade. He didn't deaden the area first - he just pinched and scraped. Fingernail works just as well.

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