Most keloids continue to grow for weeks or months after they appear. A few grow for years. Growth tends to be slow.
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.
Between 50% and 80% of keloids shrink after being injected. Many of these keloids, however, will regrow within five years. To improve results, your dermatologists may follow these injections with one or more treatments like keloid surgery or prescribe a pressure garment.
A keloid scar isn't harmful to your physical health, but it can cause emotional distress. Prevention or early treatment is key.
Keloids on your ear grow slowly. They may take up to 12 months before they become noticeable, and they may continue to grow for years. They'll eventually stop growing, but they won't go away without treatment.
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.
There are no proven methods of removing keloid scars naturally. Some clinical studies have shown that onion extract used orally or on the skin might possibly be effective in improving the appearance of keloid scars and reducing itchiness and discomfort.
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.
Cryotherapy, also known as Cryo-surgery is the application of extreme cold to treat or destroy keloids. Cryotherapy is the most effective, safest, most economical, and easy-to-perform method of treating most bulky and thick keloids.
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.
It is not uncommon for keloids to appear on the ear after getting an ear piercing. Keloids may form on any part of the ear, and they vary in size and shape.
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.
Once you have them, keloids are notoriously difficult to eliminate and have a very high chance of re-growing once they are surgically cut out. This is because the body is likely to respond in the same exaggerated way to this surgery as it did to the initial injury.
Around the area where you received the piercing you may have noticed a large, lumpy, raised scar. This could be a sign of a keloid, and they can appear on ears or as a keloid on nose piercings. They typically occur in places where an injury is healing. While they can be unattractive, keloids are rarely harmful.
After you injure skin, it's likely to take 3 to 12 months or longer to see the first signs of a keloid. The first sign is usually thickening skin.
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.
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.
Summary. Piercing bumps and keloids are scars that can develop in response to a skin injury. Piercing bumps may blend with your natural skin tone, shrink, or even disappear in time without any treatment at all. Keloids can develop from any scar, including a piercing wound, and become darker over time.
Signs & Symptoms
Keloids are smooth, shiny, firm to the touch, and may have regular or irregular ridges. In lighter skin colors, they are often skin-colored, pink, or reddish. In darker skin colors, they are skin-colored or any shade of brown. Keloids may grow larger than the original area of injury.
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.