Keloid treatment

Keloids are more common than one might imagine. They appear at the site of an injury, after the injury has healed and can spread to adjoining areas. Even though men and women of all backgrounds are susceptible to Keloids, the condition is particularly predominant among those belonging to ethnic groups. Statistically, individuals of an African-American or Hispanic origin are 16% more susceptible to getting Keloids than others. Keloid scars are found to occur 15 times more in men and women belonging to highly pigmented ethnic groups rather than Caucasians.

Keloid scars do not make for a pleasant view. In most cases, the tissue outgrowth occurs in visible parts of the body and this can lead to a good deal of social embarassment. Moreover, in some extreme and more severe cases, the extent of the scars can lead to varying degrees of difficulty in skin movement. It is also known that while Keloid scars are harmless and benign in nature, keeping them untreated for long can cause them to turn to ulcers. Keloid scars can also produce moderate to severe itchiness in the patient, accompanied by sharp, shooting pains.

All this necessitates a quick and effective treatment plan for removing Keloid scars. While information on Keloid scar removal is not hard to find these days, especially in this era of the Internet where one can access thousands of medical journals and articles on the condition and how to treat its symptoms, there still remains a lot of confusion and misconception about it. Therefore, before embarking on a discussion on how Keloid scars can be removed, it is worthwhile to spend some time in trying to understand what Keloid actually is.

A Keloid scar, or simply a ‘keloid’ is fundamentally a specific type of scar resulting from an abnormal overgrowth of tissue over the skin. The site of occurrence of Keloids is usually where a skin injury has healed recently. The scar is composed of collagen tissue. This collagen content could be either of a type III class (early) or type I class (late) depending on the age of the scar.

In appearance, Keloids resemble firm and latex-like lesions even though they sometimes can also be shiny and fibrous. The color of the scars can vary from dark brown, pink or red, and sometimes even flesh-colored. Fortunately, Keloid scars are non-malignant and do not spread through contact or otherwise. However, they can cause varying degrees of soreness of the skin, accompanied by moderate to extreme itchiness, varying degrees of pain and extensive changes in their texture. They can also impose varying degrees of restrictions on normal skin movement in some more severe cases.

It is not uncommon to mistake Keloid scars for hypertrophic scars that also occur as skin outgrowths at sites of previous injury. However, there is a very important distinction. In spite of the apparent similarity of appearance with Keloids, hypertrophic scars never grow beyond the boundaries of the original wound. Keloids, on the other hand, can spread over a larger area, expanding in a claw-like growth and can lead to an extensive area becoming affected by it.

Keloids can occur both externally on the skin, typically on the shoulders, chest, feet or around the ears, and internally, such as within the oral cavity and on the tongue. Depending on the area of occurrence, the treatment methods for removing Keloid scars can vary. For oral Keloids, gargling with salt and lukewarm water has been shown to have a beneficial effect. Sustained gargling for 60 seconds (minimum) or more, about thrice or more time every 24 hours, for a month or so can cause symptoms to get reduced. Practicing better oral hygiene is also strongly advised during such times to expedite the process.

In cases involving Keloids occurring elsewhere on the body, topical application of a silicone-rich cream or gel is widely prescribed. One needs to be persistent in this regard and must keep applying the silicone gel, covering it with a thin moistened dressing if required, for months to reduce the size of the scars and ultimately eradicate them. The best results come when the moistened gel covering is kept for at least 12 hours a day. There are many such silicone products available in the market today and some of the better-known names are Dermatix and ScarAway.

Sometimes, silicone gels may not produce the desired results. In such cases, creams containing onion extract and allantoin, such Contractubex Gel, Mederma or Hexilak Gel, can be used. These medications are often prescribed by doctors to reduce post surgery scars and have been found to be surprisingly effective in reducing Keloid scars too.

It is always advisable to start a course of treatment as soon as possible. Remember, the sooner one starts applying all the various creams and gels prescribed for treating Keloids, the quicker will be the course of recovery.