Objective To observe the expression of C-myc and apoptosis in seborrheic keratosis (SK) and investigate the pathogenesis of SK. Methods Imunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of C-myc, and the apoptosis of cell were detected by TUNEL in 66 SK lesions and 10 normal controls. Results There was no significant difference in gender and age between the two groups(P > 0.05). The percentage of C-myc positive cells (21.94 ± 19.45) % in SK lesions were significantly higher than that in the control groups (0) (P < 0.05). The protein of C-myc was positively expressed in 52 cases of the 66 SK lesions while none was expressed in the control groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in apoptotic index between SK lesions (53.01 ± 31.97) and the control groups (33.50 ± 23.86) by TUNEL (P > 0.05). There were no significant correlation between the percentage of C-myc protein positive cells and the apoptosis index in SK lesions by spearman analysis (P > 0.05). Conclusions C-myc protein is involved in the occurrence and development of SK, and the apoptosis of SK is increased.