Mr. Onur Gilleard
Qualifications & Experience
Mr Onur Gilleard is a distinguished consultant plastic surgeon on the GMC specialist register. He previously held an NHS consultant post at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, specialising in skin cancer and microsurgical reconstruction. In 2021, Mr Gilleard transitioned from the NHS to dedicate himself fully to private practice, allowing him to focus exclusively on providing personalised, high-quality care to his patients. He is recognised as an expert in laser treatments, having conducted research and developed advanced treatment protocols using cutting-edge laser technology to optimise both clinical outcomes and cosmetic results.
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A properly removed seborrheic keratosis usually does not grow back in the same place. Recurrence at the treated spot is low and depends on the method: about 5% with shave excision, 2% with CO2 laser and 10% with cryotherapy. What does happen, because you are prone to them, is that new growths can appear elsewhere over time. That is normal and is not a sign the removal failed. Here is why the odd one recurs, why new ones appear, and how to keep recurrence as low as possible.
Do They Grow Back at the Same Spot?
The mechanism, in one line: a seborrheic keratosis grows from a base in the epidermis, and regrowth — whether after an incomplete removal or after one crumbles away on its own — is that retained base doing what it does. Professional shave excision succeeds precisely because it takes the lesion flush at the correct depth, base included, which is why its recurrence rate sits around 5% rather than the near-certainty of regrowth after home picking.
Usually not. When the growth is fully removed, the treated area heals and stays clear in the large majority of cases. A small percentage can recur, and the rate depends on how it was removed:
- Shave excision: about 5% recurrence.
- CO2 laser: about 2%.
- Cryotherapy: about 10%.
A recurrence usually happens if a few of the superficial cells are left behind, which is why the method and a careful removal matter; the options are compared in the best treatment for seborrheic keratosis.
“I came to the clinic and had a lesion removed. The team were absolutely lovely, very caring and made sure I was comfortable and fully understood everything. I have recommended London Skin Clinic to all my friends for any skin procedures.”
Mr Onur Gilleard on why a seborrheic keratosis rarely grows back when taken flush — recurrence by method (CO2 laser ~2%, shave excision ~5%, cryotherapy ~10%) — and how to tell a true regrowth from a new neighbouring growth.
New Ones Appearing Elsewhere
This is the part people often confuse with “growing back”. If you have a tendency to seborrheic keratoses, you will probably keep developing new ones in other places as you get older, regardless of how well an earlier one was removed. Removing one growth does not cause more, and it does not prevent more either; new growths simply reflect your skin type and age, as explained in why seborrheic keratoses appear.
Keeping Recurrence Low
Method choice is the main lever. For a first removal, shave excision’s ~5% recurrence is excellent; for a lesion that has already returned once, CO2 laser earns its place — it works slightly deeper and takes recurrence down to around 2%, which is exactly how we sequence stubborn lesions. Cryotherapy’s ~10% is the price of its convenience, which is why it is reserved for the very smallest growths. The full comparison is in our best-treatment guide.
Regrowth, or a new neighbour?
Half of “it grew back” cases are actually a new lesion arriving nearby — easy to conflate on a back you cannot see. The distinction matters: same-spot regrowth within months points to a retained base and steers method choice; a fresh lesion a centimetre away is simply your skin type continuing its hobby, and no removal technique elsewhere could have prevented it.
The single biggest factor is having the growth removed properly in the first place, by a consultant, with the method matched to it: shave excision and laser have the lowest recurrence rates, while freezing is reserved for very small growths and carries a slightly higher chance of return. There is no cream or routine that reliably stops new ones forming, so if you develop several over time, the practical approach is simply to have any that bother you removed.
When a “Regrowth” Should Be Re-checked
If something returns at a treated site, or a “new” growth looks different from your usual seborrheic keratoses, have it assessed rather than assumed. A growth that is changing, asymmetrical, multi-coloured, bleeding or ulcerated should always be checked, because a seborrheic keratosis can resemble a melanoma; see seborrheic keratosis vs melanoma.
Regrowth Questions from the Threads
“Frozen off twice, back twice. Is it ever going to stay gone?”
With freezing, honestly, maybe not — cryotherapy carries the highest regrowth rate of the main methods (~10%) and struggles with anything thick. Twice-returned is the textbook trigger to switch method: shave excision, or CO2 laser at ~2% recurrence for the persistent offender. The lesion is not invincible; the method was mismatched.
“It grew back darker than before. Should I be worried?”
Usually it is post-inflammatory pigment plus regrowth rather than transformation — SKs do not become melanoma. But “returned and looks different” is exactly the combination that earns a dermoscopic look rather than a shrug. Quick check, settled mind.
“If they keep coming back anyway, why remove them at all?”
Because the arithmetic is better than the mood suggests: a ~95% one-and-done rate per shaved lesion, and the “coming back” most people experience is new lesions elsewhere — a skin-type feature no removal was ever going to prevent. Treat the ones that bother you; ignore the forecast.
Common Questions
- Do seborrheic keratoses grow back after removal?
- Usually not at the same spot. Recurrence is about 5% with shave excision, 2% with CO2 laser and 10% with cryotherapy. You may, however, develop new ones elsewhere over time, which is normal.
- Why do I keep getting new ones?
- Because a tendency to seborrheic keratoses comes with age and genetics. New growths in other places are not a sign that a previous removal failed, and removing one does not cause more.
- Can I stop them coming back?
- There is no cream or routine that reliably prevents new ones. The best way to keep recurrence at a treated site low is a proper removal by a consultant with the right method; any new growths that bother you can be removed too.
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