Scars are part of the body’s natural healing process. Often the scars decrease and disappear over time, but sometimes they remain quite large, convex or, conversely, deepened, whitish or reddish, itchy or painful. Sometimes they increase, exceeding the boundaries of the original wound, forming keloid scars.
Keloid (from the Greek "crab claw") is the proliferation of connective tissue at the healing site in case of injury to the skin. Usually, when the integrity of the skin is damaged, the body begins to produce collagen fibers to restore it. In some cases, an excess of collagen leads to excessive proliferation of tissue and the formation of keloids.
Keloid scars can occur anywhere on the body. But the most common places they appear are:
- rib cage;
- upper back
- shoulders
- earlobes;
- cheeks.
Keloids look like hard scars rising above the surface of the skin. Over time, they increase. Their color ranges from slightly pink to very dark.
Keloids are generally painless, but may cause some discomfort depending on the location. Also, scars can itch and have increased sensitivity. If the keloid is located on the skin above the joint, some movement restriction may occur. The main unpleasant aspect of keloid scars for most people is a cosmetic defect.
Sometimes keloids are confused with hypertrophic scars. They may have the same clinical appearance, but unlike keloid ones, remain closed within the wound area and, as a rule, regress spontaneously over time.
Keloids are not contagious. The risk of degeneration of scar tissue into a cancerous tumor is minimal.
Causes of scarring
Keloid is a harmless and benign (non-cancerous) skin lesion. The causes of its occurrence may be various skin injuries:
- piercings (especially ears);
- tattoos;
- acne
- chickenpox;
- insect bites;
- surgical incisions;
- minor scratches;
- places of vaccination.
With skin injuries, a keloid scar can form if there are the following factors:
- poor wound healing;
- joining an infection;
- inflammatory process;
- permanent injury (e.g. rubbing with clothes);
- lacerated edges of the wound.
Risk factors
Keloids are fibrous growths that extend beyond the original area of the injury and involve neighboring normal skin. Why some people form them, while others do not, has not yet been fully studied by scientists.
There are several factors that increase the risk of keloid scars:
- Color of the skin. In swarthy people, keloids are formed much more often than in those with pale skin. They are especially common among blacks.
- Scar tissue can occur anywhere, but most often in certain areas, such as the skin of the chest, shoulders and earlobes.
- Poorly healing wounds, especially in combination with infectious inflammation. For example, burns or acne.
- A history of keloid scarring increases the risk of recurrence of skin injuries.
- Age. Keloids most often occur in people from 10 to 30 years old.
- Genetic predisposition.
Symptoms
Keloid is a benign growth of scar tissue that occurs spontaneously in places of skin injury. Usually there are no symptoms as such. Some scars, for example, keloids on the cartilage of the ear, do not cause any discomfort, except for an aesthetic defect, but in other cases the following symptoms may appear:
- skin pigmentation
- itching
- pain,
- burning,
- hypersensitivity
- redness.
Keloid scar treatment
Getting rid of scars can be difficult and not always effective. Keloid treatment is usually required with severe symptoms and active scar growth. The choice of method depends on the size, location and prescription of keloid formation. The most commonly used and effective treatments are described below.
- Cryotherapy. This procedure involves the temporary freezing of the affected area with liquid nitrogen. Cryotherapy is effective in reducing new and thin keloid scars, for example, in the treatment of keloids on the earlobe.
- Laser treatment. Using a laser reduces redness, reduces acute inflammation, and also helps soften keloid scars. Processing takes 4-6 weeks. Often performed in combination with hormonal injections.
- Steroid injections. Hormones have an anti-inflammatory effect, which can help in the treatment of keloids resulting from infection. Injections are mainly used to treat small scars. These include keloids from piercings.
- Compression. Applying pressure at the site of the affected area by wrapping and squeezing can minimize the development of keloid scars.
- Surgery. Sometimes a keloid scar can be reduced by surgery. Doctors usually resort to this type of treatment as a last resort. Studies show that after surgery, keloids appear again in 50-100% of cases. New scars usually have larger sizes. To reduce the likelihood of relapse after surgical removal, additional preventive measures should be applied (hormonal ointments, tight bandage).
- Radiation therapy. Doctors can use radiation therapy to prevent the recurrence of large keloids after they are surgically removed. This strategy involves the destruction of cells in scar areas that are prone to abnormal growth. According to statistics, out of 37 keloids removed surgically with subsequent irradiation, only 7 scars appear new. However, this method is rather controversial because of the risk of side effects.
- Cosmetic procedures. Various peels, mesotreapia, whitening and other methods of cosmetic therapy will help reduce the severity of keloids on the earlobe, face and other open parts of the body.
- Ointment treatment. There are many prescription drugs that can be used to reduce and soften the appearance of a keloid. The most popular of them are "Contractubex", "Dermatics" and "Heparin" ointment.
- Use silicone gel or plasters. Due to compression, moisturizing and protection against scar injury, silicone is used in the fight to eliminate keloids. The patch adheres to a clean and dry area of damaged skin for up to 3 weeks. If the scar is fresh, the visible effect occurs in the period from 2 to 4 months. Otherwise, it may take a longer time to get rid of the defect.
ethnoscience
In addition to standard medicine methods, there are alternative methods for treating keloid scars. Therapy consists in the use of various oils (tea tree, lavender), vitamin E and other ingredients. With the regular use of folk methods, results can be seen after a few weeks.
Method 1
Aspirin in combination with tea tree oil helps brighten the skin and prevent the growth of keloid scars. It is used to heal not only scars, but also in the treatment of acne.
You will need:
- 4 tablets of aspirin;
- ½ -1 tsp water;
- 2-3 drops of tea tree oil.
Application:
- Crush the aspirin tablets and add a few drops of water to them. Mix until a homogeneous consistency is formed.
- Apply the mixture to keloid, leave for 15-30 minutes.
- Wash off with water. Lubricate the scar with 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. The procedure is carried out daily.
Method 2
Tea tree and lavender oils have anti-inflammatory properties and help to reduce the size of keloid scars.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 drops of tea tree oil;
- 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil.
Instruction
- Mix lavender and tea tree oils.
- Apply the mixture to keloid and leave for 2 minutes. Repeat daily.
Method 3
Vitamin E is one of the richest sources of antioxidants. It helps fight skin damage. Regular use of this oil can help reduce keloid scars.
You will need:
- ½ tsp tea tree oil;
- ½ tsp Vitamin E oils
Cooking.
- Mix equal parts of tea tree oil and vitamin E.
- Apply the oil mixture daily to the affected areas for 2 minutes.
Scarring Prevention
Keloid scars often occur at the site of the piercing, especially when piercing the earlobes. Scientists have determined that a possible cause of the appearance of keloid on the ear is the metal content in the jewelry for piercing. After a puncture, an allergic reaction occurs, resulting in a scar. The use of earrings without metal alloys reduces the likelihood of scar formation.
Keloids usually look a bit darker than the rest of the skin. Therefore, when exposed to the sun, scar tissue can darken even more. Therefore, keloids in open areas of the body should be lubricated with sunscreen daily on both sunny and cloudy days.
If the body is prone to scarring, you should abandon tattoos, piercings, laser procedures and cosmetic surgery. If surgical intervention is necessary for medical reasons, steroid injections can be used as prophylaxis.
With problematic skin, do not squeeze acne. To combat acne, it is better to resort to cosmetic procedures.
Examples of keloids: photo
- Keloid scar on the face.
- Keloid on the earlobe.
- Keloid scar on the arm.
- Keloid on cartilage.
- Keloid scar after tattoo.
- Keloid scar after a burn.
Finally
Millions of people around the world suffer from ugly and sometimes painful keloid scars. Many of them do not know that in the modern world, removal of scars has long been available. A keloid is a chronic, non-malignant tumor that forms at the sites of skin injury. Acne scars, chickenpox, ear piercing, burns and other skin lesions can also cause them. Many factors can affect the appearance of the scar, including size, depth of wound, blood supply, skin thickness and color. Regardless of the cause of the occurrence, a keloid scar ruins the appearance of any person. With rare exceptions, people calmly relate to scars on their faces.
There are several methods to reduce discomfort and prevent an increase in scar size. It is important to consult a certified plastic surgeon who can help determine which procedure is best for correcting a defect.