A keloid scar usually grows for months or years and becomes bigger than the original wound. While it's growing, it may feel itchy or painful. This usually stops once it's finished growing. If it's on or near a joint, the joint can be uncomfortable or difficult to move.
Keloids can continue to grow for months or even years. They eventually stop growing but they do not disappear without treatment.
Once it begins, a keloid tends to grow slowly for months or years. This slow growth differs greatly from the other type of raised scar called a hypertrophic scar. If you have a hypertrophic scar, it appears one to two months after you wound your skin and the scar tissue doesn't grow beyond the wound.
After the wound heals, apply silicone gel sheets or silicone gel. You can buy both of these products without a prescription. They can help prevent a keloid. To get the best results, you apply a new sheet or gel to the area every day.
Even after successful flattening or removal, keloids can grow back, sometimes bigger than before. Or you may develop new ones.
Keloids are a result of aberrant wound healing. Standard wound healing consists of three phases: (1) inflammatory, (2) fibroblastic, and (3) maturation.
Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans is an extremely rare condition that can be confused with keloid, especially if growing to the size of 50 mm or not healing anyway (1, 4, 5, 7). In such cases, a detailed investigation covers core biopsy and CT-imaging to achieve an exact tissue evaluation.
Keloid growth might be triggered by any sort of skin injury — an insect bite, acne, an injection, body piercing, burns, hair removal, and even minor scratches and bumps. Sometimes keloids form for no obvious reason. Keloids aren't contagious or cancerous. A keloid is different from a hypertrophic scar.
Unlike a hypertrophic scar, keloids can be large irregularly shaped, raised scars that form beyond the boundaries of the original injury. They may also change in color and shape over time. The exact size, shape, and texture of a keloid vary.
Pressure earring, dressing, or garment: Often used after keloid surgery to reduce blood flow. This may stop a keloid from returning. Using a pressure earring or garment as directed, however, can be difficult. These devices tend to be uncomfortable.
Conclusion: Keloids never completely disappear to leave skin with normal texture, however they can resolve (flatten and soften) so they no longer burden patients in approximately one third of cases. Scars resolving spontaneously do so early in the disease. Those that don't may resolve after many years of treatment.
Keloid scars are usually raised, hard, smooth and shiny. They can be skin colour, pink, red, purple, brown, or darker than the skin around them. You can get keloid scars on any part of the body, but they're most common on the chest, shoulders, chin, neck, lower legs and ears.
The color of a keloid, like the one on this patient's shoulder, can differ from that of your natural skin color. When a keloid first appears, it's often red, pink, or slightly darker than your natural skin tone. As it grows, it may darken. Some become lighter in the center and darker at the edges.
Sometimes, this type of scar may appear after a piercing. A keloid forms due to an overgrowth of fibrous tissue. In response to injury, cells in the skin — called fibroblasts — produce excessive collagen, which leads to the development of a keloid. Keloids can take 3–12 months to develop after the original injury.
Keloids often do not need treatment. If the keloid bothers you, discuss your concern with a skin doctor (dermatologist). The doctor may recommend these treatments to reduce the size of the keloid: Corticosteroid injections.
They may feel soft and squishy. Or they may feel firm and rubbery. They're also shiny, smooth and darker than your surrounding skin. Small ear keloids may raise as much as one-quarter of an inch above your skin.
Although anyone can get them, keloids are more common among darker-skinned people. Keloids can be painful or itchy but aren't usually dangerous to a person's health. However, depending on where they are located, they can be a cosmetic concern. Fortunately, there are many treatment options to help remove keloids.
Patients at high risk of keloids are usually younger than 30 years and have darker skin. Sternal skin, shoulders and upper arms, earlobes, and cheeks are most susceptible to developing keloids and hypertrophic scars.
Hypertrophic scars are contained within the site of injury and may regress over time, while keloids spread beyond the borders of the initial injury and do not regress. On histological examination, hypertrophic scars tend to have collagen in a wavy, regular pattern, whereas keloids have no distinct pattern of collagen.
The associated risk of keloid removal depends on the chosen modalities used during treatment, age of the scars and the patient's skin type. One of the most common problems patients report after keloid removal is new scar tissue forming post surgery.
A keloid is an overgrowth of scar tissue. They are not cancerous, and they don't affect your physical health. However, they can be harmful to your mental health and extremely sensitive or uncomfortable.
Aloe Vera Gel
Known for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties, the wonder gel from the aloe leaves are an absolute answer for almost all skin problems. It plays a quintessential role in reducing the size of the keloids and also minimises soreness, inflammation and helps in the healing of the scar tissue.