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Keloid

There can be many different things that result from skin growths. This is why you should try to recognize what type of skin disorder you have and what treatment options are available to you. Having this knowledge will make it easier to find the right treatment for your condition.

A keloid is an overgrowth of fibrous scar tissue that looks raised. They can also be called Cheloid or hypertrophic scars. The scars appear pink or whitish in color while being shiny, smooth and round. They can be raised as much as ¼ inch above the surround skin surface area. They are often itchy, painful and sensitive to touch.

Who Can Get Them?

Anyone can have keloids develop on their skin. Individuals of African-American descent are more likely to get them along with those who have darker skin tones. Women and young people under the age of thirty are also more likely to get them.

What Can Cause Them?

It is unknown what exactly causes keloids. It is known that they occur when the body fails to heal correctly. Collagen forms at the site of the scar and continues to form since the process doesn’t shut off. Keloid formation is what results.

How Does Keloid Happen?

Any point of injury on the skin can develop keloids. A small bump is the chart of the condition where the skin has had an injury and it will continue to grow. The injury can be caused by surgery, acne, a burn, an insect bite or even a vaccination.

Where Do They Appear?

They most commonly appear on earlobes, shoulders, upper back and the chest area.

What Are The Symptoms?

They look like a raised bump, but will become larger over time. Until the bump reaches its final size it will become larger and more visible. From person to person the actual appearance can vary.

How Can It Be Diagnosed?

Based on the appearance and a person’s medical history a doctor or dermatologist can make a diagnosis of keloids. A doctor may remove a small piece of skin in some cases and examine it in a biopsy procedure. This is typically done when a doctor needs to rule out other types of skin disorders or tumors that can be cancerous.

What Treatments Are Available?

There are a wide range of keloid treatments that provide a variety of options. There is no single treatment so a combination of treatment is often used to effectively treat the skin growths. Removal by surgery is the first option. However, it isn’t always effective and the keloids will often return and be larger than the initial one that was removed. This is why combining treatments is important.

To reduce the size of the keloid, corticosteroid injections may be used. These injections often need to be repeated at least every four to six weeks. However, the injections can be painful. Another way to reduce the size of a keloid is to cover it with a silicon gel sheet. This applies pressure to the growth which helps it to shrink. While this treatment is painless it will take time for the size of the growth to be reduced.

You can also choose to freeze the growth by a process called cryosurgery or cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen is used during this process to stop freeze or stop the growth. Every twenty or so days the process has to be repeated in order to be effective.

In some cases laser treatments can also be used. However, like with the surgical option there is the chance that they will return larger than before. The final option is radiation therapy. This process can also help reduce the amount of scar formation, but it has to be used right after the formation occurs.

Although difficult to treat, keloids are usually harmless and they do not give the individual any problems once they stop growing. Most individuals choose to have them removed for cosmetic purposes. It is important to have them checked out just like other skin growths so that your doctor can rule out any cancerous skin growth.

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