Keloids: definition, causes and how to get rid of them

What are keloids?

Keloids are scars after the appearance of a wound, which grows and becomes hard. This condition can be larger than the original wound.

Not everyone with a wound will develop keloids. However, there are some things that can make your skin more prone to keloids, for example from burns, severe acne, or after getting a tattoo.

Keloids can also appear after you have chickenpox. Not infrequently, surgical scars cause this condition.

In rare cases, this condition occurs in people who have not had any injuries. This condition is referred to as "spontaneous keloids " or spontaneous keloids.

Normally, excess scar tissue will heal and fade on its own over time and with treatment.

Scarring is most commonly found on the chest, shoulders, ears and cheeks. However, scar tissue can also affect other parts of the body.

Although not too dangerous to your health, keloids are conditions that can interfere with your appearance. Once present, keloids can enlarge slowly over months or years.

How common are keloids?

According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD), at least 10% of people have keloid sores. Keloid is a condition that can be experienced by both men and women.

Other risk factors include African, Asian or Latin descent, being pregnant and being under 30 years of age.

However, keloids are a condition that can be treated by reducing the risk factors. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Keloid signs and symptoms

Keloid characteristics vary from person to person. Symptoms generally occur at the site of a previous skin injury. The common symptoms of this condition are as follows.

Starting with a multicolored wound

This condition of course begins with the appearance of scars of various colors such as pink, red, or purple. These marks also appear more prominent than the surrounding skin.

The color that appears will darken over time.

Appears and grows slowly

This condition appears slowly, with a small size that will eventually enlarge beyond the scar. Its appearance can take weeks to months to develop.

Different in texture with other skins

Some keloids are soft to the touch and pale in color, but some are harder and chewy. Sometimes, the color can darken over time.

Causes pain and itching

There are times when these growth scars cause itching, pain, and pain relief. Luckily, these symptoms will go away once the keloid has stopped growing and isn't causing any serious problems.

Keloids vary in size and shape. In the ear lobe, this condition may have a solid round shape. It is different again in the shoulder or chest which tends to spread across the skin and looks like a hardened liquid.

In rare cases, you may have this condition in large quantities in your body. When this happens, the hardened and tight wound tissue can limit your movement.

When to see a doctor for keloids?

Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent this condition from getting worse and prevent other medical emergencies.

If you have any of the characteristics above or any other questions, please consult your doctor. Because each person's body is different, always visit a doctor to discuss your health condition.

Causes and risk factors for keloids

Not yet found what exactly causes the appearance of keloids. However, like scars, this condition may appear as part of an effort to heal skin cells after injury by forming scar tissue.

In some people, scar tissue continues to form even after the wound has healed. This excessive scarring causes areas of your skin to develop called keloids.

The types of skin injuries that can contribute to this condition are:

• acne scars,
• Burns,
• chicken pox sores,
• ear piercing (piercing),
• the location of the surgical incision,
• scratches, and
• vaccination site.

What increases the risk of developing keloids?

Men and women all over the world can be at risk from this one condition. Even so, some people have a higher risk of experiencing this condition.

Some of the factors that put you at a higher risk of developing this condition are as follows.

Family history

About a third of people affected by this condition are those who also have a family member with the condition. Families who generally experience this condition are of African or Asian descent.

The researchers found that people with the AHNAK gene were more likely to develop this condition than those who did not.

Between 10 and 30 years old

This is the peak time to experience this condition. Most people start experiencing this condition in their 20s.

However, this condition can develop earlier or later. Children and the elderly rarely develop this condition when they have a wound.

Diagnosis and treatment of this condition

How are keloids diagnosed?

If your doctor suspects you have this condition, a physical exam and several tests will be recommended.

After diagnosing this condition with a visual examination, the doctor can perform a biopsy to rule out other causes.

A biopsy involves taking a small sample of tissue from the area and analyzing it for cancer-causing cells.

How do you deal with keloids?

In fact, this condition in itself is not a dangerous problem, its appearance is only a result of the body's efforts to repair the wound. However, its existence is considered to be disturbing appearance for some people.

Therefore, for those of you who want to get rid of keloids, there are several drugs and procedures that can be an option, including the following.

Corticosteroid injections

Injections are often chosen to treat keloids. These injections contain a corticosteroid medication which will help shrink the scar.

Usually the injection is done once every 3-4 weeks. On average, patients return about 4 times for this injection. The first injection tends to relieve symptoms and make the scar tissue feel softer.

Between 50 - 80% of the scar tissue will shrink after injection. Most of these conditions will grow back within five years.

To maximize results, dermatologists often add other therapies to the treatment plan.

Keloid surgery

In very large cases or longer scars, surgical removal may be recommended.

This treatment involves surgically cutting the scar tissue. Even though surgery may seem like it suggests a permanent solution, it is important to remember that almost 100% of keloids come back after this treatment.

To reduce the risk of scarring coming back after surgery, dermatologists often treat patients with other treatments. Corticosteroid injections or cryotherapy can help reduce the risk.

For keloids in the ear lobe, wearing special earrings that put pressure on the ear lobe can prevent the condition from returning.

Receiving radiation treatment after surgical removal is also a step that can prevent keloids from returning.

Pressure treatment

This procedure is a step often used after keloid surgery. Pressure treatment This is done by pressing the keloid area using a special tool such as a brace to reduce blood flow which can stop scar tissue from coming back again.

When done properly, this pressure is effective in preventing the return of scarring. However, this step is quite difficult to do, as the process will make you feel painful and uncomfortable.

To get maximum results, a patient should wear it up to 16 hours a day for 6 - 12 months. However, this treatment is recommended after the dermatologist removes the scar tissue from the earlobe.

Laser treatment

For certain types of scars (including some keloids), your doctor may recommend a laser. This treatment is to re-coat the keloid and the surrounding skin in a high light.

Laser treatment can reduce the height and fade scarring. It is often used in conjunction with other treatments, such as a series of injections or pressure corticosteroids.

However, laser treatment has the risk of aggravating keloids by causing increased scarring and redness.

Although these side effects can sometimes look better than the original wound, you may still experience some form of scarring.

Silicone and gel sheets

Often used in conjunction with pressure treatments, silicone sheets and gels can also reduce the size of keloids.

In one study cited by the American Academy of Dermatology, 34% of scarring were flattened to the surface of the skin after patients used silicone gel daily for six months.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy (also calledcryosurgery) is a type of treatment that is most effective in removing keloid conditions, the process of which is to freeze scar tissue using liquid nitrogen.

The process is to freeze scar tissue from the inside out, while saving the skin underneath. It is used to reduce keloid hardness and size. Cryotherapy works best on small keloids.

Take care cryotherapy before or after receiving corticosteroid injections can reduce the size of the keloid. This can make the injection treatment more effective.

Radiation treatment

Radiation treatment is usually done after you have had a surgical removal of the keloid. Patients can start radiation treatment immediately after surgery, the next day, or a week later.

Radiation can also be used alone to reduce the size of this condition. However, the results tend to be maximized if used after surgery.

Ligature

If this condition is thick enough, the doctor can recommend ligature by tying the keloid with surgical threads. These threads will gradually cut through scar tissue, which can lead to hair loss.

You will need to tie new surgical threads around the scar every 2 - 3 weeks.

Keloid prevention

Please note, all the treatment options above are not necessarily able to completely remove keloids. Before this happens, you can still take the various preventative steps below.

Avoid skin injury

If you have the possibility of scarring, the steps you should take are to avoid skin injuries, ear piercings, and surgery if possible.

If you need surgery, especially on areas that may be injured, make sure your doctor knows that you have the potential to develop keloids.

If you have risk factors for this condition, you may want to avoid body piercings, unnecessary surgery or tattoos.

Take immediate care

Starting some treatments (such as corticosteroid injections, pressure bandages) immediately after surgery can prevent scarring.

If you get your ears pierced, you should wear pressure earrings to reduce injury.

Keep skin out of the sun

Sun exposure or tanning can discolor the scar tissue, causing the area to appear darker than the surrounding skin. This can make this condition more conspicuous.

Keep the wound closed when you are out in the sun to prevent discoloration.