How to Treat a Cutaneous Horn

A cutaneous horn is an uncommon skin lesion, in the shape of an animal's horn that usually appears on sun-exposed skin. They appear most commonly on the face, ear, nose, forearms and back of the hands. Forty percent of cutaneous horns are precancerous lesions, so it is vitally important to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Speak with your doctor about getting a biopsy of the cutaneous horn. The doctor wants to determine if the lesion is benign, precancerous or cancerous before he proceeds with treatment.
2. Review different types of surgeries a doctor may use to treat the lesion. The doctor can cut the cutaneous horn at the base, scrape and burn it off, freeze it off using liquid nitrogen or administer laser surgery, which removes the lesion at the surface.
3. Consider chemotherapy or radiation therapy if the cutaneous horn is cancerous. These treatments use drugs and radiation to stop the spread of cancer cells and shrink any tumors that might be present.
4. Start using a topical cream on the lesions. There are medications that your doctor can prescribe. Aldara, a new cream, works by stimulating the body's immune system to recognize precancerous lesions. Efudex and Carac work by directly attacking the precancerous cells.

Tips & Warnings

• Work to try and prevent cutaneous horns and other skin cancers. Start using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more. Put the sunscreen everywhere the sun's rays might touch you, including your ears, the back of your neck and bald areas of your scalp. Also wear protective clothing and hats when you are outside in the sun.