Use of a keratolytic agent with occlusion for topical treatment of hyperkeratotic seborrheic keratoses

Seborrheic keratoses are the most common benign tumors in adults. Despite their negative cosmetic appearance, no topical treatment is commonly recommended for these lesions.

Our objective was to assess whether clinical benefit could be achieved by using a keratolytic topical agent and superficial scraping for this condition.

A topical 50% urea-containing product under occlusion was applied daily to large and/or thick hyperkeratotic seborrheic keratoses on the truck and extremities. The patients were instructed to digitally scrape the surface of the lesions in an attempt to reduce the thickness of the lesions.

In a pilot nonrandomized open-label survey, patients expressed satisfaction with using this topical therapeutic technique.

Hyperkeratotic seborrheic keratoses can be satisfactorily managed with topical agents and scraping with reasonable patient satisfaction. Further studies with various keratolytic agents using other delivery systems are warranted.