The Cantankerous Keloid Scar

Keloid scars can be embarrassing and troublesome for those who have them. They can be very small or very large, and this may depend on what caused the scar in the first place. Keloid scars are sort of a mystery, and the medical community has not been able to identify as to why some people get them and others don't. One simple fact remains, is that keloids are not pretty to look at, and in some cases it may drive patients to want to have surgery to remove them.

Keloid scars can resemble burns in the respect that they are dome shaped and may appear shiny and bubbly. They may be very red, or the scar itself may be white in color but outlined in red or pink. In some cases, they can burn or itch really badly even waking you up in the middle of the night. That would definitely be annoying!

Keloids tend not to go away, and will often get progressively worse. This is no relief to the patient who strongly desires to get rid of them, but what can you do? Some keloids can appear as a laceration or injury of the skin begin to heal, and some are simply the result of a surgical incision. There are some different methods that can be used to treat keloid scars, but not all of them can be proven effective for everyone.

One popular method, is to have your doctor inject cortisone into the scar which tends to flatten it out a bit. You can only get so many injections of cortisone, and then if it hasn't worked, you can move to other options. The cortisone injection is helpful in that it can even relieve some itching and burning, and they usually last about a month. I personally had injections for my keloid scar that was a result of a thyroid surgery I had in December of 2008. Initially, you couldn't really tell that the scar was bubbling, or raised, but within a month I didn't like what I saw. It was thick, and very red. The surgeon advised me that he didn't like the way my scar looked and so I was dismayed. The first course of treatment was to try the cortisone shots, and then after that if it didn't work I could have a scar revision. My scar was very tight, and sometimes I felt as though the movement of my neck was limited. According to Dr. Michael Wood, of Cincinnati Head and Neck, the best way to overcome this was to have a scar revision surgery, so I opted for it when the cortisone didn't work for me.

Overall, I would say that Keloids can make you self-conscious and can be embarrassing to look at, but what choice do we have? If you get them, you get them, and there isn't much you can do to change it except try the treatment options you are given. Using Vitamin E oil is helpful, and although it didn't improve the appearance of them yet, it does help with the burning and the itching.

Sources

Dr. Michael Wood, Director of Department of Ootolaryngology at Christ Hospital
Cincinnati Head and Neck
www.cincinnatiheadandneck.com