How a Senile Wart Dies

Seborrehic keratosis came to the fore of my attention when one popped up in the shaving area of my right cheek. It was an unusual specimen, more of a cross-section, planed continuously by the blade. Most of mine are in the area of the left temple, and I have one as far south as near my elbow on that side, presumably because that's where the sun hits when driving. Those have a grayish, fleshy, not quite "stuck-on" appearance, as usually described, because they're not very large, but I guess they are sort of putty-ish. They invite picking that way, but that just makes them look like actual warts, when the blood vessels break.

Unless you've been putting Vitamin D oil on them, in which case they actually do become unstuck and fall off. One such dried crust came clean off under my fingernail last night. A previous, larger lesion sort of broke off in pieces prior to that. I think those two went first because they were old, and eager for apoptosis. the one on my cheek isn't as dramatic, but I have seen it shed layers and shrink, which I'm sure is the equivalent process. Essentially, after the basal layer cells give up the ghost, the overlying structure surfaces atop the normally differentiating skin, as closely resembling normal exfoliation as possible given its keratinous nature.

I think the ones on my elbow are shrinking, too, though. They have the best shot of falling off clean, without a verrucous phase.

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