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KELOIDS

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

KELOIDS

Keloids are abnormal, smooth, raised overgrowth of scar tissue that forms at the site of a skin injury.

  • Fibrous tissue called scar tissue are formed over an injury to repair and protect it but when the scar tissues grow excessively they form a firm hard growth called keloids.
  • In rare cases, keloids may form in places where no visible injury has occurred on the skin.
  • They are commonly seen on the earlobes, shoulders, upper back, chest, face and hands but they can occur anywhere.
  • Keloids generally affect both sexes equally but are more common among women with pierced ears.
  • They are more common in people less than 30 years of age.
  • 15% – 20% of people with darker skin such as Blacks, Asians, and Latinos are more prone to developing keloids than other people.
  • Keloids do not turn into cancer or pose any serious health complication.
  • Keloids have a genetic component, which means there is a high tendency of you having keloids if one or both of your parent has
  • Keloids are different from normal mature scars in size and composition.
  • Keloids are usually darker than the normal skin color

CAUSES

Keloids can form after a skin injury from:

  • Burns
  • Insect Bites
  • Tattoos or piercing
  • Skin conditions such as acne
  • Chickenpox or diseases that cause scarring of the skin
  • Vaccination sites
  • Scratches
  • Surgical incision sites
  • Cuts including from shaving

SYMPTOMS

  • A raised lumpy area of the skin
  • An itchy patch of skin
  • An area of the skin that is pink, red or your flesh color.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

DIAGNOSIS

The doctor performs a visual examination of the keloid scar.

To rule out other conditions, your doctor may want to perform a biopsy. This involves taking a small sample of skin tissue from the scarred area and taking it for analysis to check for cancerous cells.

Keloids don’t require medical attention but you may want to get in touch with your doctor if growth continues or if additional symptoms develop.

TREATMENT

There are so many ways of treating keloids. Your doctor will help you choose the one that is best appropriate for you.

Silicone gel: Silicone is one of the most common used scar remedies and has been known to help shrink some raised and keloid scars. A sheet of silicone gel is worn on the affected areas continuously for months

Steroids Injection: these injections help to flatten the steroids and reduce inflammation.

Pressure: Keloids that are present on the earlobe can shrink significantly by the use of a special earring. This earrings are available and must be used appropriately to get the desired result.

Cryotherapy, this involves using liquid nitrogen to freeze the steroid. This method helps in flattening the keloids.

Surgery may be used to remove steroids. This is dangerous because cutting keloid can trigger the formation of a larger keloid. However, injecting steroids or applying compression to the wound site for months has been found to be useful.

Radiation has been reported by some doctors as a safe and effective method of treating keloids

Laser treatment can be effective in flattening keloids though it is costly. This treatment has been known to be effective, safe and not too painful although several treatment sessions may be needed.