Dry flakey spot of skin on my stomach that I have had for a long time

I have a patch of skin on my stomach that I have had for a very long time, sense I was about 5 years old. I am 21 now and have asked several doctors and a dermatologist yet no one knows what it is.  It grows smaller or bigger depending on how dry my skin is, how humid it is out, etc, but it always has the same shape.  I've tried lotions and such, but I don't think I have any home of getting rid of it till I know what exactly it is.  A little background that could help or have nothing to do with it is that around the age of 5 I spend 6 months in south america.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms the possibility of seborrheic keratosis needs to be ruled out. Seborrheic keratosis is a benign skin growth and the cause is exactly not known but sunlight and hereditary predisposition have been proposed. The treatment methods employed are cryotherapy with carbon dioxide (dry ice) or liquid nitrogen, electrodesiccation, electrodesiccation and curettage, curettage alone, shave biopsy or excision using a scalpel, or a laser or dermabrasion surgery. Sometimes keratolytic agents can also be applied but they are temporary treatments.

For confirming the diagnosis, I suggest you to get it evaluated from a dermatologist.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.