Description

A keloid scar is a thick raised scar. Can occur anywhere that you have an injury to the skin, but usually forms in the lobes of the ears, shoulders, cheeks or chest. If you are prone to developing keloids, you can get in more than one place.

A keloid scar is not harmful to your physical health, but it can cause emotional distress. Prevention or early treatment is key.

Keloid scar treatment is possible. If you don't like how a keloid looks or feels, talk to a doctor about how to flatten or remove it. Even with treatment, keloid can last for years or are repeated.

Symptoms

A keloid scar can form within months to years of incitement to injury. Signs and symptoms may include:

  • Thick, irregular, scars, usually in the lobes of the ears, shoulders, cheeks, or in the middle of the chest
  • Glossy, hairless, with a smooth, raised skin
  • Varied in size, depending on the size of the original injury and when the keloid stops growing
  • Varied texture, from soft to firm and elastic
  • Reddish, brown, or purple, depending on your skin color
  • Itching
  • Discomfort

When to see a doctor

Early treatment can help to minimize the growth of a keloid. Talk with a doctor immediately after the notice of a keloid. If you want to try with one that I've had for a while, talk to a doctor who specializes in skin diseases (dermatologist).

Causes

The experts don't completely understand what causes keloid scars. But most agree that it is likely that a dysfunction of the wound healing process. Collagen, a protein found throughout the body — it is useful for the healing of wounds, but when the body produces too much, keloids can form.

Keloid growth could be caused by any type of injury to the skin — the bite of an insect, acne, injection, body piercing, burns, hair removal, and even small scratches and dings. Sometimes keloids form for no obvious reason.

Keloids are not contagious or cancerous.

A keloid is different from a hypertrophic scar. A hypertrophic scar is kept within the limits of the original wound and may disappear with time without treatment.

Risk factors

Risk factors for keloids are:

  • Having brown or Black skin. Keloids are more common in people with brown or Black skin. The reason for this predisposition is unknown.
  • Have a personal or family history of keloids. Keloids can run in families, indicating that the trend could be inherited. If you've had a keloid, you are at risk of developing others.
  • Be under 30 years of age. You are more likely to develop a keloid if you are between the ages of 20 and 30.

Complications

Keloids are found in a joint can develop hard, tight tissue that restricts the movement.

Prevention

If you are prone to developing keloids, take these preventive self-care tips:

  • Good practice of wound care.Keep the wound clean and moist. Wash the area gently with a mild soap and water. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly petroleum Jelly (vaseline, Aquaphor) or other ointment. Reapply the ointment throughout the day as needed. Your doctor may recommend the application of a pressure pad, or a pad of silica gel to the wound while it is healing. Adults should take these preventative measures for six months after the injury of the skin, and the children of up to 18 months. The application of external pressure to your lobes of the ears after ear piercing helps to prevent keloids.
  • Protect your skin from injury.Try to avoid injury to the skin. Consider the possibility of not getting body piercings, tattoos and elective surgeries. Even minor injuries, such as the appearance of ingrown hairs, cuts and scratches — can cause a keloid to grow. If you decide to have surgery, talk with your doctor about your tendency to develop. Your doctor may use surgical techniques that reduce the risk of developing keloids at the surgical site. After the surgery, ask your doctor about post-operative care and follow the instructions carefully.

Good practice of wound care. Keep the wound clean and moist. Wash the area gently with a mild soap and water. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly petroleum Jelly (vaseline, Aquaphor) or other ointment. Reapply the ointment throughout the day as needed. Your doctor may recommend the application of a pressure pad, or a pad of silica gel to the wound while it is healing. Adults should take these preventative measures for six months after the injury of the skin, and the children of up to 18 months.

The application of external pressure to your lobes of the ears after ear piercing helps to prevent keloids.

Protect your skin from injury. Try to avoid injury to the skin. Consider the possibility of not getting body piercings, tattoos and elective surgeries. Even minor injuries, such as the appearance of ingrown hairs, cuts and scratches — can cause a keloid to grow.

If you decide to have surgery, talk with your doctor about your tendency to develop. Your doctor may use surgical techniques that reduce the risk of developing keloids at the surgical site. After the surgery, ask your doctor about post-operative care and follow the instructions carefully.

Diagnosis

Your doctor usually can tell if you have a keloid, looking at the affected skin. You may need a skin biopsy to rule out skin cancer.

Treatment

Keloid scar treatments include the following. One or a combination of approaches that may be better for your situation. Even after successful flattening or elimination, keloids can grow again, sometimes larger than before. Or you can develop new ones.

  • Wound care. For more new, keloids, the first choice of treatment could be compression bandages made of elastic fabric or other materials. This method is also used after surgery to remove keloids. The goal is to reduce or avoid a scar by putting pressure on the wound while it heals. These dressings should be used for 12 to 24 hours per day for 4 to 6 months to be effective. This method can be very uncomfortable.
  • Corticosteroid cream. The application of a prescription strength steroid cream can help to relieve the itching.
  • The medicine was injected. If you have a small keloid scar, your doctor may attempt the reduction of its thickness, by injection with cortisone or steroids. It is likely that require monthly injections of up to six months before you will see the scar flattens. Possible side effects of injections of corticosteroids are thinning of the skin, spider veins, and a permanent change in the color of the skin (hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation).
  • The freezing of the scar. Small keloids may be reduced or removed by freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy). Repeat treatments may be necessary. Possible side effects of cryotherapy are blistering, pain, and loss of skin color (hypopigmentation).
  • The laser treatment. Large keloids can be crushed by the pulsed-dye laser sessions. This method has also been useful in the relief of itching and causing keloids to fade. Pulsed dye laser therapy is performed through multiple sessions with 4 to 8 weeks between sessions. Your doctor might recommend a combination of laser therapy with cortisone injections. The possible side effects, which are more common in people with darker skin, include hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation, blistering, and crusting.
  • The radiation therapy. Low level of X-ray radiation, alone or after the surgical removal of a keloid can help to reduce or minimize the scar tissue. Repeat treatments may be necessary. Possible side effects of radiation therapy are skin complications and, in the long term, cancer.
  • The surgical removal. If the keloid has not responded to other treatments, your doctor may recommend the removal of surgery in combination with other methods. Surgery alone has a recurrence rate of 45% to 100%.

Alternative medicine

There are No proven methods for the removal of keloid scars naturally. Some clinical studies have shown that the extract of onion used orally or on the skin that could be effective in improving the appearance of keloid scars and reduce the itching and discomfort.

Potential future treatments

The research in the wound-healing issues, including the formation of keloids, shows promise. For example, the studies include:

  • Experimental topical creams and injectables to reduce and stop the growth of keloids
  • Botulinum toxin type a (Botox) to improve wound healing
  • The identification of genetic markers in tissue, keloid
  • Stem cell therapy

Lifestyle and home remedies

Try these keloid self-care tips:

  • Care for your wound as directed. Wound care can be time-consuming, and compression bandages can be uncomfortable. Try to stick to the routine recommended by your doctor, as these steps are important for keloid prevention.
  • Apply a corticosteroid cream. This type of non-prescription cream can help to relieve the itching.
  • Apply a silicone gel. The application-counter silicone gel can help relieve the itching.
  • To protect the area of re-injury. Avoid the irritation of the keloid with clothing or other types of friction or injury.
  • Protect your skin from the sun. Exposure to the sun can change the color of your keloid, which is all the more remarkable. This change may be permanent. Before going out to protect your skin by covering the keloid or by liberally applying sunscreen.

Preparing for your appointment

Call your doctor if you notice a change in your skin, that might indicate a keloid is forming, or if you've been living with a keloid for a while and want to seek treatment. After your first appointment, your doctor may refer you to a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions (dermatologist).

You could ask a trusted family member or friend to come to your appointment, if possible. Someone close to you can provide additional information about your condition and can help you to remember what has been discussed during your appointment.

What you can do

Before your appointment, make a list of:

  • The symptoms I have been experiencing, and for how long
  • Your medical information, including other injuries, or surgeries you have had, and if your family has a history of keloids
  • Questions to ask your doctor to make the most of your time together

The questions may include:

  • Am I at risk of developing keloids?
  • How can I reduce the risk of developing a keloid?
  • What if I want to get a tattoo or body piercing?
  • What if I need surgery?
  • How soon after the initiation of treatment, it may be that my symptoms start to improve?
  • When you are going to see me again to evaluate if the treatment is working?
  • What are the chances that the keloid return?
  • What are the possible side effects of the treatment you are suggesting?
  • I'm scheduled for surgery. What can I do to minimize the risk of a keloid in the development of the scar?
  • What is your advice on the care of the wound after the surgery?
  • Can my keloid turn into cancer?
  • What self-care measures might prevent a keloid from returning?
  • Do you recommend any change to the products I'm using on my skin, like soaps, lotions, sunscreens and cosmetics?

Do not hesitate to ask any other questions.

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor or mental health provider may ask:

  • When did you first develop this problem?
  • The symptoms continued to improve, or get worse with time?
  • Have any of your relatives had similar symptoms?
  • How is your skin condition that affects their self-esteem and confidence in social situations?
  • What are the treatments and self-care measures that have been tried up to now? Have any been effective?
  • Have you ever been injured?
  • Have you ever had surgery?
Symptoms and treatment of Keloid scar