KELOIDS are a type of scar that results from an overgrowth of collagen type tissue at the site of a healed skin injury. Keloids can be firm, rubbery lesions or shiny, fibrous nodules that vary in color….some are pink, others are flesh colored, or they may be red to dark brown in color. Keloids are benign (not cancerous), are not contagious but often cause severe itching and changes in skin texture. Severe keloids can affect movement of the skin.
Keloids require expert attention to deal with the pain, itching and physical disfigurement.
Keloids are often confused with “hypertropic scars.” They are not the same. Hypertropic scars are raised and they do NOT grow beyond the boundaries of the original wound.
Since I have specialized training and years of experience in surgery and reconstructive surgeries, I have dealt with so many patients in need of Keloid removal and scar revision…I couldn’t begin to number them. Just know, that dealing with Keloids is serious business and you should see a surgeon with expertise in this area…in order to get desirable results.
Keloids and where they develop on the body. Keloids can develop any place an abrasion (injury) has occurred. They can even result from pimples, insect bites, scratching ones self, from burns or other skin trauma. They can develop post surgery. They most commonly occur:
- On the central chest
- The back & shoulders
- On Ear lobes
- On arms & over the collar bone after body piercings
- From shaving…razor bumps may become keloids
- Bottom of feet
- Can occur at any age…but generally don’t until past age 11
- Keloids…may be linked to hereditary tendencies
COMMON TREATMENTS FOR KELOID REMOVAL
1) Corticosteroid injected directly into the tissue – typically 3-4 treatments spaced about 1 month apart – will reduce a raised Keloid to a flat scar and reduce redness, itching and burning.
2) Surgical Removal is used for larger, more extensive formations. Technique involved may employ a scalpel, electric knife or laser removal.
3) Post-Surgical Complimentary Treatments are often used to minimize Keloid recurrence after surgical removal. These treatments include: -silicone sheet dressings applied directly to the skin around the incision; -compression therapy the mechanically flatten the scar formation, – topical imiquimod or advanced injectables such as bleomycin, -interferon or 5-fluorouracil. These drugs work at the cellular level to disable the Keloid tissue formation process.
4) Laser Excision followed by monthly intralesional steroid injections alone or in conjunction with imiquimod.
These are my treatment preferences. I stay with the tried and true because those options are proven to get the most desirable results.
Stay well, remember the Sun Screen, lots of pure drinking Water, Sun Glasses and avoid the sun’s glare, especially when near a body of water.
Steven Davison M.D.
“DAVinci….where I combine the supreme elements of art and surgical science.”
Dr. Steven Davison 