How do you know if a scar is a keloid?

Check if you have a keloid scar
A keloid scar usually appears a few weeks to years after you damage or injure your skin, such as after a cut, burn or acne. 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.

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How do you know if a keloid is forming?

How do keloids develop?
  1. Appears slowly. After you injure skin, it's likely to take 3 to 12 months or longer to see the first signs of a keloid. ...
  2. Grows. ...
  3. Causes pain, itch, or burning. ...
  4. Changes color. ...
  5. Darkens after spending time in the sun. ...
  6. Stops growing. ...
  7. Shape of keloids varies. ...
  8. Size differs.

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What can be mistaken for keloids?

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.

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Will a keloid scar go away?

Do keloids go away? Unlike a hypertrophic scar, a keloid doesn't fade with time. To reduce the appearance of a keloid, you need to treat it. When it comes to treatment, no one treatment works best for all keloids.

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What is the difference between a raised scar and a keloid?

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.

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Doctor explains KELOID SCARS including causes, treatment and prevention

20 related questions found

Do I have a keloid or bump?

Piercing bumps and keloids are different skin conditions that can occur following a piercing. Piercing bumps tend to appear more quickly and do not grow in size, while keloids take time to form and can continue to grow over time.

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Is it OK to leave a keloid?

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

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How long until a keloid is permanent?

Keloids can continue to grow for months or even years. They eventually stop growing but they do not disappear without treatment. In some cases, as mentioned above, keloids can return after they have been removed.

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How do you flatten a keloid scar?

Larger keloids can be flattened by pulsed-dye laser sessions. This method has also been useful in easing itchiness and causing keloids to fade. Pulsed-dye laser therapy is delivered over several sessions with 4 to 8 weeks between sessions. Your doctor might recommend combining laser therapy with cortisone injections.

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Are keloids hard or squishy?

Some keloids feel soft and doughy. Others are hard and rubbery. Cause pain, itching, or tenderness. When they are growing, some keloids may be itchy, tender, or painful to the touch.

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How do you stop a keloid from growing?

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.

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How common are keloids?

An estimated ten percent of all people experience some degree of keloid scarring. While keloids have the potential to develop in nearly anyone, some groups of people are at an increased risk of developing these skin features.

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What triggers keloid growth?

Keloids and hypertrophic scars are caused by cutaneous injury and irritation, including trauma, insect bite, burn, surgery, vaccination, skin piercing, acne, folliculitis, chicken pox, and herpes zoster infection.

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What are the stages of keloids?

Keloids are a result of aberrant wound healing. Standard wound healing consists of three phases: (1) inflammatory, (2) fibroblastic, and (3) maturation.

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Do keloids flatten on their own?

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.

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Who is at risk for keloids?

People 70 years of age or older develop keloids. Pregnancy: The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy increase the risk of developing a keloid.

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What does a keloid look like?

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.

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Should you touch your keloid?

Ear keloids are a type of scar tissue, so there isn't any pus to squeeze out, like a pimple. Trying to pop a keloid on your ear can damage your skin and introduce bacteria, which can cause an infection.

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How soon do keloids form after piercing?

First, it's important to realize that a keloid often does not occur immediately after the skin injury. Therefore, it may take months after your piercing for one to develop. The primary and most obvious sign is a thick, irregular scar, which often occurs on the earlobes.

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Can you test for keloid skin?

Keloids are diagnosed through a physical exam by a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, or primary care doctor. Often no further testing is needed to diagnose a keloid. However, your provider may want to order a biopsy to rule out any other skin conditions.

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Can keloids be cancerous?

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.

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Can you get rid of a keloid at home?

No home remedies have been shown to get rid of keloids once they have formed. But, there are a few things that people can do at home after a skin injury to help prevent keloids from forming or minimize their appearance.

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