What does a bad keloid look like?

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.

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How do you know if a keloid is 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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Is it bad to leave a keloid?

A keloid scar is a thick raised scar. It can occur wherever you have a skin injury but usually forms on earlobes, shoulders, cheeks or the chest. If you're prone to developing keloids, you might get them in more than one place. A keloid scar isn't harmful to your physical health, but it can cause emotional distress.

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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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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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Doctor explains KELOID SCARS including causes, treatment and prevention

44 related questions found

When should a keloid be removed?

In some instances, a surgeon may recommend removing a large hypertrophic scar or keloid. Keloids that far exceed the margins of the original wound, for example, require removal to allow surgeons to reconstruct the surrounding skin and tissue and restore as much of the underlying structure as possible.

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Can keloid become cancerous?

Abstract. Keloid is a skin disease characterized by exaggerated scar formation, excessive fibroblast proliferation, and excessive collagen deposition. Cancers commonly arise from a fibrotic microenvironment; e.g., hepatoma arises from liver cirrhosis, and oral cancers arise from submucosal fibrosis.

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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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Will a keloid grow back if you cut it off?

Even after successful flattening or removal, keloids can grow back, sometimes bigger than before. Or you may develop new ones.

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Should I be worried about keloids?

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.

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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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How do I know if my keloid is infected?

Keloids can become infected as they grow, with bleeding, pain and swelling. These infections can show up as systemic/ bloodstreams infections as well. Signs of an infected keloid include tenderness, pain and more warmer skin than the surrounding area.

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Does bio oil help with keloids?

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.

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Can you live with a keloid?

Keloids can be treated, so it is not a condition you have to continue living with. The treatment involves superficial radiation and is incredibly effective in removing keloid scars.

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Do keloids ever go away naturally?

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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Can you squeeze out a keloid?

A keloid is not a pimple that you can pop by yourself! In fact, experts suggest not to try such things, as you might risk getting an infection and make the situation worse.

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Should I just leave my keloid alone?

Remember that keloids aren't harmful or a sign of cancer. So there's no medical reason to have them removed. But if you would like to pursue the idea because they cause discomfort or you simply don't like the way they look, there are some options out there.

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Can ice shrink a keloid?

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.

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Why is my keloid getting bigger?

Researchers know that the body produces more collagen than its needs to heal the injured skin. That's why the keloid scar grows bigger than the wound that caused it.

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Why do people get keloids?

Keloids are growths comprised of excess scar tissue that form where the skin has previously healed following an injury. They are usually flesh-colored, red, or pink in color. While these growths pose no medical threat, many of the people that have them are displeased by their aesthetic appearance.

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Do keloids always get big?

While keloids are a type of scar tissue, they can grow much larger than the wound. Once a keloid forms, it can grow over several months or even years, overshadowing the original injury.

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How much does a keloid surgery cost?

The cost of keloid removal ranges from $75 to upward of $2,000 depending on the type and duration of treatment. Keloid removal is considered a cosmetic procedure, therefore is not usually covered by health insurance.

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How do you flatten keloid scars naturally?

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.

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Why does my keloid hurt?

Background: Keloid scars can itch and hurt, but little is known about the characteristics of these symptoms in keloids. Because itch and pain are carried by small nerve fibers, abnormal function of these fibers could be an explanation for such phenomena.

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