Topical Perillyl Alcohol in Treating Patients With Sun Damaged Skin and Actinic Keratoses

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Resident of Pima or adjoining Southern Arizona county * Patients outside of Pima County are also eligible * Sun damaged skin as judged by the study physician and quantifiable, clinically diagnosed, and visible actinic keratoses (AK) on both dorsal forearms, with at least two AK on each arm * AK lesions must not be clustered, confluent, or too numerous to count accurately * Presence of AK on sites other than the test area allowed * No significant inflammation or irritation of the skin of the upper extremities that is not clinically diagnosed as sun damage or AK * Patients must agree to limit sun exposure as much as possible and may continue their normal pattern of sunscreen use PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Inclusion criteria: * Females must not be of childbearing potential, and therefore must be post-menopausal or surgically sterile by hysterectomy * Not pregnant or nursing Exclusion criteria: * Concurrent skin malignancy or disorder of the upper extremities * Patients with Squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma in an area other than the test area are eligible upon excision of the Squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma * Patients who are immunosuppressed by virtue of medication or disease * Serious concurrent illness that could interfere with study regimen * Invasive cancer within the past 5 years PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * At least 30 days since prior topical medications to the skin of the upper extremities except for emollients or sunscreens * At least 30 days since prior and no concurrent mega-doses of vitamins, defined as any of the following: * More than 5 times the recommended daily allowance * More than 5 capsules of multivitamins * 400 IU of vitamin E * 200 μg of selenium * 1 gm of vitamin C * At least 6 months since prior and no concurrent therapy for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or basal cell carcinoma (BCC) anywhere in the test area (i.e., the forearms or hands) * Treatment for Squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma on sites other than the test area is allowed * At least 4 weeks since prior surgical biopsy, surgical excision, or cryotherapy for AK in the test area and the sites must have healed * At least 6 months since prior topical treatment (e.g., 5-fluorouracil or imiquimod) for AK * No concurrent therapy that may interfere with clinical evaluations * No concurrent topical drug treatment (e.g., retinoids, aminolevulinic acid, diclofenac sodium, imiquimod, or fluorouracil) to any area of skin, including test area * No concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial * No concurrent topical citrus peel or consumption of citrus peel * No chemotherapy for cancer within the past 5 years