The best treatment for Keloids

Keloids are simply an over growth of scar tissue. Anytime the skin is injured, cut, burnt or traumatized, the result is a scar which continues to have exaggerated growth. Keloids also common after undergoing tattoos, ear piercing, acne, ingrown hair and the slightest degree of trauma. In many cases, the trauma is so minor that one does not realize it and yet the response of the body is an ugly looking scar. However, by far the most common cause of Keloids is surgery.

In most people when skin is cut or injured, the body responds appropriately and heals the skin. However, in others, the response of healing is exaggerated and this results in an overgrowth of tissues which causes Keloids. Keloids generally are raised, thick, irregular and always have a poor aesthetic appearance.

African American, Asians and Middle Easterners seem prone to Keloids. Why this occurs is not understood. These same individuals also have a tendency to have recurrent Keloids.

No matter what any health care professional claims, Keloids are very difficult to treat. Despite the plethora of treatments, the treatment of Keloids is never satisfying and in fact many treatments make Keloids look worse than the original scar.

One of the most common treatments for Keloids is injection of corticosteroids into the scar. The number of injections vary but most require at least 3-6 injections spaced over 4-6 months. The success rate of corticosteroids is about 50-60 percent, but higher for the smaller sized scars.

Surgical removal of Keloids is never successful as the resultant scar is even worse looking. Other recent treatment include use of laser, electrodessication (heating), and cryotherapy (cooling). Except for the laser, all the other treatments do not work well. Even though the laser does work, there is no guarantee that the Keloids will not come back. Overall, laser is the preferred treatment for Keloids, but it is also quiet expensive and painful.

There are a variety of novel dressings available to treat Keloids like the silicone gel or compression garments. However, these treatments have to be applied for prolonged times and the results are mediocre at best.

A relatively new treatment for Keloids has been the use of drugs like imiquimod, bleomycin or interferon. These drugs work by stopping cell growth and decrease size of scar. However, very few reports exist about efficacy of these treatments. Moreover, these chemicals also have potent side effects which include burning, stinging and pain. These last resort treatments should only be done when all the other treatment modalities have failed.

Anyone with Keloids who wants treatment; remember avoid surgery, be realistic and start off with corticosteroid injections. If that fails, search for someone who has more experience with the more invasive methods.