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.
Aspirin paste. This treatment can lighten the keloid scar as well as reduce its size. Depending on the size of your scar, crush a few aspirin tablets and make a paste with them in water. Apply this on your scar daily and leave it on for a couple of hours, till you get the desired effect.
Changes color. 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.
Unlike a hypertrophic scar, a keloid doesn't fade with time. To reduce the appearance of a keloid, you need to treat it.
In time, some collagen breaks down at the site of the wound and the blood supply reduces. The scar gradually becomes smoother and softer. Although scars are permanent, they can fade over a period of up to 2 years. It's unlikely they'll fade any more after this time.
Bio-Oil helps to improve the appearance of new or old scars; whether from surgery, accidents, burns, insect bites, scratches or conditions such as acne or chickenpox. Although younger scars will have a greater chance of improvement, studies have shown that older scars also benefit from regular use of Bio-Oil.
Aspirin. Aspirin works to help reduce the appearance of keloid scars by preventing the cells that form the scars from entering the wound site in the first place. To do this, you can crush approximately three aspirin and mix them with enough water to create a paste.
Apple Cider Vinegar
It prevents scar-promoting cells from entering the keloid site and also reduces both pigmentation and size of the keloids. It also soothes the irritated skin and reduces any swelling. Dilute the ACV with a little water and dab it on the keloid using a cotton ball.
Using the following tips to treat the area may help prevent keloid growth. Cover a new wound with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a nonstick bandage. Hold the bandage in place with tape so that there is even pressure on the wound. Wash the area with soap and water every day.
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.
Lasers often target blood vessels in the scar which can remove these blood vessels and prevent scar growth. They also can lighten the red or pink color often seen in scars and reduce pain, itch and hardness. A fractionated laser may be used to put microscopic holes in the scar to soften it and tell it to remodel.
Laser or light therapy (pulses of light) can reduce the redness in a scar by targeting the blood vessels in the excess scar tissue. For some pitted scars, laser surgery (laser resurfacing) is used to try to make the scar flatter.
In vitro studies have demonstrated that retinoids can modulate collagen production and the proliferation of normal and keloidal fibroblasts. In vivo applications of 0.05% topical retinoic acid can lead to a reduction of hypertrophic scars in 50-100% of patients and of keloids in less than 20% of patients.
Dermatologists may inject a corticosteroid solution directly into a hypertrophic scar or keloid, which may help reduce its size. Steroids break the bonds between collagen fibers, which reduces the amount of scar tissue beneath the skin.
Collagen — a protein found throughout the body — is useful to wound healing, but when the body produces too much, keloids can form. 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.
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.
Bio-Oil Skincare Oil has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of many types of scars1, but its impact on keloid scars can be limited due to their nature. Unlike any other type of scarring, keloid scars are raised and spread beyond the original area of skin damage. This could be minor or major.
Wait until your wound has fully healed and allow 4 weeks after any stitches have been removed before you start to apply Bio-Oil. To apply, massage in a small amount until it has been fully absorbed. You need to be dedicated and ensure you regularly massage and moisturise your scar twice a day for at least 3 months.
It is a result of an overgrowth of granulation tissue (collagen type 3) at the site of a healed skin injury which is then slowly replaced by collagen type 1. Keloids are firm, rubbery lesions or shiny, fibrous nodules, and can vary from pink to the color of the person's skin or red to dark brown in color.
There's no foolproof way to get rid of keloids. A keloid forms as a result of an exaggerated healing response in some people, especially those with more pigment in their skin. Prescription medicines and in-office procedures may be able to improve the appearance of keloids.
Silicone gels and sheets work best on small keloids or as a preventative measure on fresh scars. Steroids. An injection of a corticosteroid can reduce the size of a keloid scar. In general, steroids reduce inflammation and redness.