Keloids - Symptoms & Treatment

Keloids are raised, reddish nodules that develop at the site of an injury A keloid is a greatly enlarged scar that projects above the skin surface. The skin heals by formation of scar tissue, which at first is often red and somewhat prominent. As the months pass, a scar usually becomes flat. Unfortunately, sometimes scars enlarge to form firm, smooth, hard growths called keloids.

Symptoms of Keloids

Symptoms of Keloids are covered a benign tumor, but they are mainly a cosmetic nuisance and never become malignant. Operating on a keloid usually stimulates more scar tissue to form, so people with keloids may have been told that there is nothing that can be done to get rid of them. Darkly pigmented people seem to be more prone to forming keloids. Men and women are equally affected.A skin lesion that is:

• Flesh-colored, red, or pink
• Located over the site of a wound, injury, or other lesion
• Nodular or ridged.

Causes of Keloids

There are many causes of Keloids some are below:

• We don't know why keloids form.
• While most people never form keloids, others develop them after minor injuries and even insect bites or pimples.
• Keloids may form on any part of the body, although the upper chest and upper back are especially prone to keloid formation.
• Keloids occur from such skin injuries as surgical incisions, traumatic wounds, vaccination sites, burns, chickenpox , acne , or even minor scratches. They are fairly common in young women and African Americans. Keloidosis is a term used when multiple or repeated keloids are produced.
• Keloids are a cosmetic nuisance and never become malignant.
• Keloids occur more frequently in dark-skinned people.
• Exposure to the sun during the first year of the keloid's formation will cause the keloid to tan darker than surrounding skin.

Treatment of Keloids

The treatment of Keloids are below list :

• There is no satisfactory treatment for keloids.
• Some doctors have had success injecting keloids with bleomycin an anticancer drug.
• The best treatment is to inject a long-acting cortisone into the keloid once a month. After several injections with cortisone, the keloid usually becomes less noticeable and flattens in three to six months time.
• Keloids often require no treatment.
• A new treatment for keloids is to apply a silicone gel preparation over the keloid scar for 12-24 hours each day. This treatment is started three to four weeks after the wound or injury.