Raised age spots, medically called seborrheic keratoses, are benign skin growths that can be removed through several professional procedures, including freezing, scraping, laser treatment, or a prescription topical solution. No single method works best for everyone. The right choice depends on the size, location, and number of spots, as well as your skin tone.
These growths are noncancerous and don’t require removal for health reasons. But they can be cosmetically bothersome, catch on clothing or jewelry, or become irritated. If you want them gone, here’s what actually works and what to expect.
Make Sure It’s Actually an Age Spot
Seborrheic keratoses have a distinctive “stuck on” appearance, as if someone pressed a waxy, slightly raised patch onto the skin. They’re usually brown, tan, or black, though occasionally pink, yellow, or white. The surface often looks scaly, wart-like, or bumpy, sometimes with tiny bubble-like cysts. They’re covered in keratin, the same fibrous protein that makes up fingernails.
The problem is that several other skin growths look similar, including some that are precancerous or malignant. Any new or changing skin growth should be evaluated by a dermatologist before you attempt removal. Red flags that warrant a closer look or biopsy include a spot with an irregular or jagged border, uneven color, a diameter larger than a pea, or one that has changed noticeably in recent weeks or months. Open sores that won’t heal also need evaluation. A dermatologist can examine a suspicious growth under a dermascope, a small lighted microscope, and take a tissue sample if needed.
Cryotherapy (Freezing)
Cryotherapy is the most common in-office treatment. Your dermatologist applies liquid nitrogen directly to the growth, freezing and destroying the tissue. It’s quick, doesn’t require anesthesia for most spots, and is relatively inexpensive compared to other options.
After treatment, a scab forms and peels off on its own. On the face, healing typically takes 5 to 10 days. On the hands, expect about three weeks. The lower legs heal the slowest, sometimes taking up to three months for the scab to fully resolve. Thicker growths may need longer freeze times or multiple freeze-thaw cycles in the same session, and some spots require more than one visit.
The main downside is pigment changes. Cryotherapy can leave a permanent lighter patch of skin where the growth was, which is more noticeable on darker skin tones. Scarring is possible but less common.
Curettage (Scraping)
In this procedure, a dermatologist numbs the area with a local anesthetic, then uses a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette to scrape the growth off the skin’s surface. The site is then cauterized with small bursts of electrical current to stop bleeding and seal the wound. No stitches are needed.
Curettage works well for growths on the trunk and areas where a small scar won’t be a concern. It’s fast, effective in a single session, and gives the dermatologist the option of sending the removed tissue for lab analysis if there’s any question about the diagnosis. Risks include pain, swelling, bleeding, and scarring. The resulting scar tends to be flat and pale, but it can be noticeable depending on location.
Laser Removal
Ablative lasers vaporize the growth by targeting water in the skin cells with concentrated light energy. Two types are commonly used. One type removes tissue more aggressively, vaporizing 20 to 60 micrometers of depth per pass with significant collagen remodeling in the surrounding skin. The other is gentler, removing just 3 to 5 micrometers per pass with much less heat damage to surrounding tissue.
The gentler laser option carries a lower risk of pigment changes, making it a better fit for people with medium to dark skin tones. The more aggressive option may produce better cosmetic results in a single session but comes with a higher chance of skin darkening or lightening afterward. Laser removal tends to cost more than cryotherapy or curettage, and it’s rarely covered by insurance since the procedure is considered cosmetic.
Prescription Topical Treatment
A prescription solution containing 40% hydrogen peroxide (sold under the brand name Eskata) is FDA-approved specifically for raised seborrheic keratoses. This is not something you apply at home. A healthcare provider applies the solution directly to the growth during an office visit, and it works by breaking down the tissue over subsequent days.
This option appeals to people who want to avoid cutting, freezing, or lasers. However, it may require more than one treatment session, and it’s not effective on every growth. Availability can also vary by provider.
Why Home Removal Is Risky
Over-the-counter products containing hydroquinone, glycolic acid, or kojic acid are marketed for age spots, but these are designed for flat discoloration, not raised growths. They won’t remove a seborrheic keratosis. Products containing hydroquinone can cause skin irritation, and chemical peels strong enough to remove raised tissue carry risks of scarring, infection, and permanent changes in skin color.
Attempting to cut, scrape, or freeze a growth at home is particularly dangerous. Without a proper diagnosis, you could be damaging a lesion that needs biopsy. Even if the growth is benign, DIY removal often leads to infection, uneven scarring, or incomplete removal that causes the spot to grow back irregularly. The cost of professional removal is modest for most people, especially when compared to the cost of treating complications from a home attempt gone wrong.
What Recovery Looks Like
Regardless of the method, post-removal care follows a similar pattern. Keep the treated area covered for the first 24 to 48 hours. After that, gently wash it once or twice a day with cool water and mild soap, then pat dry with a clean paper towel. Your dermatologist may recommend applying petroleum jelly or an antibiotic ointment to keep the wound moist.
Avoid skin cleansers with alcohol, peroxide, iodine, or antibacterial chemicals on the healing site. These can damage new tissue and slow recovery. For open wounds where no stitches were placed, prevent a hard crust from forming by keeping the area lightly moisturized. Protecting the healing skin from sun exposure is important to minimize the risk of dark marks forming at the treatment site.
Can You Prevent New Ones?
Unfortunately, there is no proven way to prevent seborrheic keratoses from developing. They become more common with age, tend to run in families, and appear on both sun-exposed and covered skin. While sun protection is valuable for many skin concerns, it hasn’t been shown to stop these particular growths from forming. If you’re prone to developing them, new ones will likely appear over time, and you can have those treated the same way.