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My Journey of Health & Heart
Home » KELOID » KELOID TREATMENT

Currently, there is no cure for keloids or a way to prevent their formation. However, we do have many types of effective treatments that can help those who suffer from keloid scars.

 

Below you will find the different types of treatments available to keloid sufferers:

 

Steroid Injections:

An effective tool for both treatment and prevention is the injection of steroids such as triamcinolone directly into the scar. Steroids help prevent inflammation and promote the breakdown of collagen. This helps to make scars less raised, and to decrease pain and tenderness associated with the scar.

Scarred Beauty's Thoughts:

This is the only treatment that I have found has worked effectively for me with lasting results. However, I do believe that the Doctor that you choose makes an impact on how effective this treatment will be. In my experience, you need to find a Doctor that has worked with keloids before and knows how to correctly inject the steroid as well as has a proper timeline for treatments. The Doctor you choose can be the answer to failed attempts.


Laser Therapy:

Laser therapy is now used to treat many types of skin problems, including keloids. It is often combined with steroid injections to give the best cosmetic result. Pulsed dye lasers are reported to give encouraging results, with few adverse effects. However, Pulsed dye lasers are less effective on dark skin. 

Scarred Beauty's Thoughts:

My Doctor used laser treatment on me in conjunction with my steroid injections. After treatment, my keloid would be bruised for up to two weeks. I did notice slight improvement in color with the laser causing it to blend more evenly with my skin tone, but I did not experience any flattening from the laser treatments.

 

Surgery:

Some Doctors may suggest to surgically remove the keloid. Surgical excision on its own has a very high recurrence rate and the recurring scar may even be larger than the original. Results can be improved by:

  • Meticulous surgical technique.

  • Additional treatments such as steroids, occlusive or pressure dressings or radiotherapy.

Scarred Beauty's Thoughts:

Up until I found my current Doctor, each time I went to see a Doctor for help, each one suggested surgery to remove the keloid. Seeing as I did not know much about keloids, I believed this to be a logical treatment. Knowing more now and after my experience with 5 cosmetic surgeries to remove my keloids, I know this to be unture and illogical. If you are prone to keloids, you are going to keloid no matter how many times you remove it. The worst part about surgery is that each time I had mine removed, it came back larger. This seems to be a trend in others that I speak with as well. I often have people tell me that they wish they never had it surgically removed because the keloid previous to removal was much more manageable than what they have now. When going to a Doctor that suggests surgery as a first option, assess the experince that this Doctor has with keloids. Before taking this drastic step, ensure that this is the right treatment for you. 


Radiotherapy:

Radiotherapy is radiation exposed to the effected area after the keloid has been surgically removed. You may be familiar with the use of radiation in patients battling cancer. Radiotherapy is recommended, particularly post-surgery for the treatment of keloid scars. There have been concerns about its safety, due to its carcinogenic properties but, providing surrounding tissues are protected, the risk is very low. Implantation of radioactive seeds (brachytherapy) post-surgery was found to be an effective treatment.

Scarred Beauty's Thoughts:

When I was looking for the right Doctor to tackle my keloid, I had a consultation with a Radiation Oncologist. When I met with him, he told me that he had a 90% success rate on treating keloids. This was amazing to me and I wanted to see some photos of results he has previously worked on but he did not have anything to show me. He let me know that with the radiation being exposed to my chest, there was a chance that it could possibly cause breast cancer in 30-40 years. When I got home from the appointment, I dove into research and surprisingly could not find an overwhelming amount of success stories using radiation on keloids. In fact, I wasn't able to find any success stories using radiation. For a treatment that was said to have a 90% success rate, I was surprised that I was unable to find before and after photos reflecting that. When thinking about this treatment, be sure to work with your doctor and weigh the risk with the reward. 


Cryotherapy:

Cryotherapy is a treatment which freezes the keloid. It involves the keloid to be pinched with one hand while the two prongs of the cryoneedle, which is attached to a pressurized cryogun, are pushed into the scar about 5 mm below the surface and run parallel across the longest part of the scar until it reaches the other side. The liquid nitrogen gas is released and ice balls will form where the probe is inserted. Ice will continue to form and connect the two balls, indicating that the keloid is completely frozen. The flow of liquid nitrogen is stopped and the probe is left in the keloid for a couple of minutes to thaw before it is taken out. Sterile gauze is applied to the keloid to cover the penetration sites. Wound should be cleaned daily and an antibiotic ointment applied until fully healed. Cryotherapy rates of response are good when used by itself, especially in recently formed keloids. It is much more effective when combined with steroid injections.

Scarred Beauty's Thoughts:

I have never had a consulatation with a Doctor that provides cryotherapy so I do not want to speak in any specific way regarding this procedure. I have seen some results of cryotherapy and it tends to work well. However, my main concern with this procedure is that for weeks or even months afterward, you are left with a seeping, open wound. Unlike laser or steroid injections, it is much more invasive and takes aftercare by the patient. 


Over The Counter Remedies:

There are a number of new topical treatments for healing scars that may visibly diminish keloids. The active ingredient in many of these treatments is silicone. Look for a product labeled "scar cream" or "scar gel" and apply as directed.

Scarred Beauty's Thoughts:

My favorite over the counter remedy for keloid scars (and the only one that has worked for me) is Plato's Scar Serum. I have tried silicone sheets, black paste, Vitamin E Oil, Emu Oil, and nearly every other product promised to help keloids and Plato's Scar Serum is the only one that has worked for me. It has helped with the coloring of my keloid as well as kept it flat when I stopped steroid injections. 

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