Actinic keratosis

I'm 45 year old male and I have recently noticed that one strange bump appeared on my left cheek.
At the beginning it was very small and red so I supposed it was some inflamed acne or something similar. But I was wrong.
With time this bump grew day by day and become more whitish.
Just before this occurred I was at vacation on the sea and I was wondering could it be from the sun.
So, I paid a visit to my dermatologist and after skin biopsy he set the final diagnosis- actinic keratosis. He didn’t say a much about it and prescribe me some crème.
I would like to find out more about this condition because one friend told me that this could be very dangerous.

An Actinic keratosis (AK), also known as a solar keratosis, is a scaly or crusty bump that arises on the skin surface.
From the name you could conclude that sun is important and that anyone who spends time in the sun runs a high risk of developing this condition.
Sun damage to the skin accumulates over time, so that even a brief exposure adds to the lifetime total.
Occasionally it itches or produces a pricking or tender sensation.
I will tell you why it can be very serious. Actinic keratoses are common premalignant skin tumors displaying different clinical morphologic features and histologic configurations.
So, you are aware now that Actinic keratosis can be the first step in the development of skin cancer.
If treated early, almost all Actinic keratosis can be eliminated without becoming skin cancers.