Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments

Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments Keloid scarring is a skin issue that many people face. It makes scars that grow bigger than the original wound. Knowing about keloid scarring means understanding its causes and treatment options.

There are many reasons why someone might get keloid scarring. These include genetics and injuries. Finding the right treatment is key to managing these scars.

Doctors use different ways to treat keloid scars. This includes medicines and changing your lifestyle. Places like Acibadem Healthcare Group offer treatments like injections and special creams.

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Dealing with keloid scars can also affect how you feel about yourself. It’s important to manage and prevent these scars. By learning about prevention and new treatments, you can handle this issue better.

What is Keloid Scarring?

Keloid scarring is a type of raised scar that happens after the skin heals from an injury. It’s when the skin makes too much fibrous tissue, making the scar bigger than the original wound. This is more common in darker skin tones and often shows up on the chest, shoulders, earlobes, and cheeks. Knowing about keloid scarring helps with treatment.

Definition of Keloid Scars

Keloid scars look shiny, firm, and rubbery. They don’t fade like normal scars do. They can get bigger and might itch. This happens because the healing skin makes too much collagen. It’s important to know how to spot a keloid scar.

How Keloids Differ from Other Scars

Keloids and hypertrophic scars both have too much collagen. But hypertrophic scars stay within the original wound and often go away on their own. Keloid scars spread beyond the wound and don’t usually get smaller without help. Knowing the difference helps pick the right treatment.

Common Causes of Keloid Scarring

Keloid scars happen when the body heals too much at a wound site. Many things can make you more likely to get keloids. Knowing these can help prevent and treat them. Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments

Genetic Factors

Genes play a big part in getting keloid scars. If your family has had them, you might get them too. People of African, Hispanic, and Asian descent often get keloids more easily. This is because their genes make their skin react differently to injuries and inflammation.

Skin Injuries and Trauma

Cuts, surgeries, burns, and piercings often lead to keloid scars. When the skin gets hurt, it can make too much scar tissue. Taking good care of wounds and avoiding injuries can lower the chance of getting keloids.

Infections and Inflammations

Infections and inflammation can also cause keloid scars. Things like acne or chickenpox can make scars grow too much. Treating infections fast and keeping your skin clean can help prevent keloid scars.

Symptoms and Identification of Keloids

Identifying keloid scars is important. Look for certain signs and changes in the skin. This helps catch them early and treat them.

Visual Appearance

Keloids look like raised, thick skin. They grow bigger than the original wound. The skin there might look smooth, shiny, and be a different color. This color is often red, purple, or brown.

Physical Sensations

Keloids can make you feel itchy, tender, or even painful. These feelings can be annoying. They might make you want to see a doctor.

If you notice these symptoms, see a doctor. A dermatologist can help. They can tell if you have a keloid scar and what to do about it.

Keloid Treatment Options

There are many ways to treat keloid scars. These methods aim to make the scar smaller, look better, and hurt less.

Medical Treatments

Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments Medical treatments can really help. *Steroid injections* are often used to flatten and soften keloid scars. Doctors inject these into the scar to watch how it works.

Cryotherapy is also used. It freezes the keloid, making it smaller and softer.

Surgical Options

*Surgical removal* is another way to treat keloids. It cuts out the keloid tissue. Then, other treatments are used to stop it from coming back.

Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments This surgery is for big keloids that don’t get better with other treatments. After surgery, you might wear a special garment or use creams to help heal and prevent the keloid from coming back.

Combined Approaches

Experts often suggest using *combination therapy*. This might include surgery, *steroid injections*, or laser therapy. Using different treatments together helps make the keloid look better and stop it from coming back.

This way, we can tackle the complex nature of keloids. It means getting a treatment plan that fits your specific needs.

Natural Remedies for Keloid Scars

Looking into natural ways to treat keloid scars can be a kinder way to make them less noticeable. Many people use home treatments and herbal remedies that work well.

Topical Treatments

Topical treatments are key in caring for keloid scars naturally. You can use things like silicone gels and onion extract. Silicone gels keep the skin moisturized and make scars less raised. Onion extract, found in products like Mederma, helps reduce swelling.

Herbal and Home Remedies

Herbal remedies and home care for keloids include oils and extracts that help heal. Oils like lavender, tea tree oil, and apple cider vinegar are often used. They can make scars less itchy and improve how the skin looks.

• Lavender Oil: It calms the skin and can ease itchiness and swelling.
• Tea Tree Oil: This oil stops infections and helps scars grow less.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Using it can make scars smaller and less red over time.

Using these natural remedies for keloid scars every day can help make them less noticeable.

How to Prevent Keloid Scarring

For people who often get keloid scars, taking care of scars early is key. Here are some important steps to help prevent keloid scars:

1. Early Intervention: Clean the wound well and use an antibiotic ointment right away. This helps stop keloids from forming.
2. Pressure Therapy: Using pressure dressings or earrings can flatten scars. This is great after surgery or piercings.
3. Silicone Gel Sheets: These sheets help by keeping the scar moist and stopping too much collagen from forming. Using them often can really help.
4. Avoiding unnecessary skin trauma: It’s important to treat injuries quickly but also avoid hurting your skin more. Be careful during beauty treatments and pick skilled doctors to lower risks.
5. Regular Monitoring: Check on healing wounds often for any signs of bad scarring. Catching it early helps manage scars better.

Using these prevention strategies and a good scar care plan can really lower the chance of getting keloid scars. This means better healing of wounds. Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments

Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments Here’s a quick look at the main ways to prevent keloid scars:

Best Treatments for Keloid Scars

There are many ways to treat keloid scars. Some top treatments include cortisone shots, laser therapy, and silicone gel sheets. Each method has its own benefits and things to think about.

Corticosteroid Injections

Corticosteroid shots are a top pick for keloids. They lessen swelling and slow down too much collagen growth. This makes the scar tissue less raised. With regular shots, cortisone can make keloid scars smaller and less noticeable.

Laser Therapy

Laser treatments are popular for making keloids look better. Lasers like pulsed dye lasers aim at the blood in the keloid. This reduces redness and makes the skin smoother. It’s also a low-risk option for patients.

Silicone Gel Sheets

Silicone gel sheets are easy and effective for keloid scars. They keep the scar tissue moist, which helps it soften and flatten. You can buy these sheets over the counter, making them a handy choice for managing keloid scars.

Keloid Removal Methods

There are many ways to remove keloids, both with and without surgery. Surgery like excisional surgery and keloidectomy is often used. Excisional surgery cuts out the keloid scar. Keloidectomy removes keloids and helps prevent them from coming back.

Non-surgical ways to remove keloids include laser ablation and cryotherapy. Laser ablation uses light to make keloids smaller and less noticeable. Cryotherapy freezes the keloid with liquid nitrogen. These methods are less invasive and work well for some people.

It’s important to know the good and bad of each method before deciding:

1. Excisional Surgery: Completely removes the keloid but might come back if not treated after.
2. Keloidectomy: Often uses steroid shots after surgery to help prevent coming back.
3. Laser Ablation: Is less invasive, has little downtime, but might need more treatments.
4. Cryotherapy: Works well for small keloids but can change skin color.

Having a plan for aftercare is key to stop keloids from coming back. Talking to a skin doctor or a specialist in removing keloids can help make a plan that fits your skin and situation.

Here’s a table to help understand the different ways to remove keloids: Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments

Keloid Scarring: Causes & Treatments Each way to remove keloids has its own benefits. Knowing these can help you pick the best one. After removing keloids, taking good care of your skin is key to stop them from coming back and to heal well.

Long-term Management and Healing Process

Understanding how to manage and heal keloid scars is key for those wanting to see lasting results. A good plan includes ongoing treatments and careful attention. Things like cortisone shots and laser therapy might need many sessions over months to work well. Being patient and consistent is very important as healing can take a long time.

There are also daily steps that help with scar care. Using silicone gel sheets or pressure clothes can make keloids less noticeable. It’s also important to keep the skin safe from harm. Following a skincare plan from a doctor can keep scars looking good and stop new problems.

Many people forget about the emotional side of having keloid scars. But, support groups and mental health help are very important. Being part of a community or seeing a therapist can make a big difference. It helps with the emotional side of scars. Good scar care means regular doctor visits, taking care of yourself, and getting emotional support.