Treatment of skin keratoses with .alpha.-hydroxy acids and related compounds

A method for alleviating the symptoms of actinic or nonactinic skin keratoses comprising topically applying to involved areas of the body an effective amount of a composition comprising:

• a therapeutically effective amount of a product prepared by reacting, in aqueous or alcoholic aqueous solution, an acid selected from the group consisting of .alpha.-hydroxybutyric acid, .alpha.-hydroxyisobutyric acid, .alpha.-hydroxyisocaproic acid, .alpha.-hydroxyisovaleric acid, atrolactic acid, .beta.-hydroxybutyric acid, .beta.-phenyl lactic acid, .beta.-phenylpyruvic acid, citric acid, ethyl pyruvate, galacturonic acid, glucoheptonic acid, glucoheptono 1,4-lactone, gluconic acid, gluconolactone, glucuronic acid, glucuronolactone, glycolic acid, isopropyl pyruvate, lactic acid, mandelic acid, methyl pyruvate, mucic acid, pyruvic acid, saccharic acid, saccharic acid 1,4-lactone, tartaric acid and tartronic acid, or the anhydride thereof, and a base selected from the group consisting of ammonium hydroxide, an organic primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary alkylamine, alkanolamine, diamine, dialkylamine, dialkanolamine, alkylalkanolamine, trialkylamine, trialkanol amine, Dialkyl alkanol amine, or alkyldialkanolamine wherein the alkyl or alkanol substituent has from 1 to 8 carbon atoms in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle.

A method for alleviating the symptoms of actinic or non-actinic skin keratoses comprising topically applying to involved areas of the body an effective amount of a composition comprising:

• a therapeutically effective amount of malic acid in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle.