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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Seborrheic keratoses are most common from around 40 onwards, but they can appear in your 20s and 30s, usually when there is a strong family tendency. An early-onset growth is still benign and means the same thing as one later in life: it is harmless. The one important point for a younger person is that a pigmented growth should be confirmed by a specialist, because it is even more worth being sure it is a seborrheic keratosis and not something else. Here is why they can start young, and what to do about one.
Why They Can Start Young
The main reason a seborrheic keratosis appears earlier than usual is genetics. If your parents developed many, you may start to see them in your 20s or 30s rather than your 40s. They are an overgrowth of surface skin cells, and a family tendency simply means yours begin sooner. The full background on what drives them is in why seborrheic keratoses appear. They are not caused by a virus, sun damage alone, or anything you did, and they are not contagious.
What “early onset” actually looks like
The searches tell the story: “seborrheic keratosis in 20s” is asked constantly, and the answer is reassuringly dull — the lesion is identical to its 60-year-old counterpart; only the calendar differs. Early starters usually have a strong family history (ask a parent about their “age warts” and watch the recognition), often notice the first lesion on the trunk, the hairline or under a watch strap or waistband where friction draws the eye, and can expect gradual company over the decades rather than an explosion. In darker skin, the young version often announces itself as dermatosis papulosa nigra — the small dark facial papules that run strongly in families — which is the same benign process in different clothing.
Still Benign, but Worth Confirming
An early-onset seborrheic keratosis is just as harmless as one in later life. The reason to get it checked is not that it is more dangerous, but that a pigmented growth in a younger person is exactly the kind of thing that should be confirmed rather than assumed: a consultant can quickly tell a seborrheic keratosis from a mole or, rarely, a melanoma, usually with dermoscopy. If a growth is changing, asymmetrical, multi-coloured or bleeding, have it looked at promptly; the comparison is in seborrheic keratosis vs melanoma.
What to Do About One
Two youth-specific notes. First, confirmation matters more, not less, at 25: a new pigmented lesion in a young adult carries a wider differential than the same lesion at 70, so dermoscopy before any removal is non-negotiable — the logic our SK vs melanoma guide lays out. Second, cosmetic stakes run higher on younger skin with decades of visibility ahead, which favours the most scar-conservative method — usually shave excision, with its no-stitch healing and 2–3 week blend-back.
Once a growth is confirmed as a benign seborrheic keratosis, treatment is entirely optional. Many young people choose to have a facial or visible one removed for cosmetic reasons, or one that catches and irritates; it is a quick procedure under local anaesthetic, usually a shave excision, set out in our complete removal guide. If you are prone to them you may develop more over the years, which is normal.
Young and Barnacled: the Threads
“I’m 24 and the GP called it an age wart. Excuse me?”
The name is the problem, not the diagnosis. “Age wart” describes the average customer, not an entry requirement — early-onset SKs are common, familial and biologically identical. Take the label as a compliment to your skin’s efficiency and, if it bothers you, know it removes exactly like everyone else’s.
“Will I have hundreds by 60 like my dad?”
An early start plus strong family history does predict more over time — but “more” arrives over decades, and each one that bothers you is a few-minute removal. Most heavily seeded patients manage the situation with an occasional clearance session, not a lifetime of dread.
“Mine is on my face and I’m too young for this. Is removal riskier there?”
Facial SKs remove beautifully — thin lesions, good blood supply, quick healing — with the method chosen for cosmetic outcome (and, in darker skin, chosen to protect pigment). The bigger risk on a young face is not the removal; it is letting an unconfirmed pigmented lesion sit unexamined.
Common Questions
- Can young adults slow new ones appearing?
- Not meaningfully — the drivers are genetic and chronological, and no cream, diet or routine has been shown to prevent new seborrheic keratoses. What youth does buy is options: lesions removed while small heal fastest and neatest, and sensible sun habits help the skin on every other front.
- Can you get seborrheic keratosis in your 20s or 30s?
- Yes. Although they are most common from around 40, they can appear earlier, usually when there is a strong family tendency. An early-onset growth is still benign.
- Should I worry about one at a young age?
- A confirmed seborrheic keratosis is harmless at any age. It is worth having a pigmented growth checked by a specialist to be sure of the diagnosis, especially if it is changing.
- Will I get more as I get older?
- If you have a tendency to them you probably will develop more over time, which is normal and not a sign of any problem. Any that bother you can be removed.
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