Keloid Scars treatment

Some Quick Facts On Keloid Scars

  • Scar formation can be a normal part of the healing process
  • In some cases scar tissue formation can be excessive
  • The two types of excessive scar tissue formation are known as keloid and hypertrophic scarring
  • Keloid scarring tends to overgrow the boundary of the initial injury, and can be itchy and painful. Keloids usually don’t get better with time. Surgical revision of keloid scars can make them worse
  • Hypertrophic scarring tends to remain within the boundary of the initial injury, and get better over time.
  • Darker skin types are more likely to develope keloid scars
  • Keloid scars be be treated with a combination of laser, cortisone/5FU injections, and sometimes surgical excision with adjunctive treatments
  • Hypertrophic scars can also be treated with laser, cortisone/5FU injections and also surgical revision.

Keloid scars

The body’s skin naturally heals itself when it is damaged. This healing process can cause scars to appear.

If the skin is broken , the body produces more of a protein called collagen. The collagen grows around the damaged skin and then builds up helping the wound to seal . The resulting scar tends to pull tight and flatten and then fades over time. Unfortunately Keloid scars continue to grow invading the surrounding undamaged skin and can become bigger than the original wound.

There are many kinds of common skin injury’s that could lead to keloid growth such as :injections, insect bites, burns, acne, chicken pox,surgery, ear piercing, lacerations, abrasions, tattooing, vaccinations, injections, folliculitis/ingrown hairs, and shingles. Their appearance is of a raised, often purple/red coloured scar that can have a solid consistency. Removing the scar is one treatment option, however this could make the scar worse i.e. the probability that the resulting surgery scar will also become a keloid is high, usually greater than 50%. Laser treatment has also been used with varying degrees of success.

Although anyone can have a keloid scar form some ethnic groups are at more risk of developing them than others. Keloid scars are seen 15 times more in highly pigmented ethnic groups rather than Caucasians.

Below is a photo of a typical keloid scar.

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Can you prevent keloid scars?

Unfortunately there’s little you can do if you have the type of skin that forms keloid scars only to follow the usual routine of keeping the wound clean.If you believe you may be susceptible because of previous experience or a family connection then you can avoid taking extra risks. Do not have piercing or tattoos and make sure you tell your doctor if you are going to have surgery that you may be at risk of developing keloid scars .

Treatment for keloid scars

There is no guaranteed method for getting rid of a keloid scar but there are several types of treatment that can be tried.

  • Kelo-cote-advanced gel:Recommended by Dermatologists and Plastic Surgeons, used by the NHS’ Kelo-cote is a new product which has excellent reviews. A patented topical silicone gel for the management and prevention of abnormal scars in the form of hypertrophic scars and keloids.
  • Surgery: This is risky, because cutting a keloid can trigger the formation of a similar or even larger keloid. Some surgeons achieve success by injecting steroids or applying pressure dressings to the wound site after cutting away the keloid. Radiation after surgical excision has also been used.
  • Laser: The pulsed-dye laser can be effective at flattening keloids and making them look less red. Treatment is safe and not very painful, but several treatment sessions may be needed. These may be costly, since such treatments are not generally covered by insurance plans.
  • Silicone sheets: This involves wearing a sheet of silicone gel on the affected area for several hours a day for weeks or months, which is hard to sustain. Results are variable. Some doctors claim similar success with compression dressings made from materials other than silicone.
  • Cryotherapy:  Freezing keloids with liquid nitrogen may flatten them but often darkens the site of treatment.
  • Interferon: Interferons are proteins produced by the body’s immune systems that help fight off viruses, bacteria, and other challenges. In recent studies, injections of interferon have shown promise in reducing the size of keloids, though it’s not yet certain whether that effect will be lasting. Current research is underway using a variant of this method, applying topical imiquimod(Aldara), which stimulates the body to produce interferon.
  • Fluorouracil: Injections of this chemotherapy agent, alone or together with steroids, have been used as well for treatment of keloids.

    Below is a photo of large keloid scarring.

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Below some links to more information on keloid scars.


Scar Treatment

A new scar gel from produced in Atlanta Georgia  is getting some excellent reviews and is also being recommended by plastic surgeons and the NHS.  Kelo-cote was created by Advanced Bio-Technologies, Inc, which is a privately held bio-pharmaceutical company based in Georgia. Advanced Bio-Technologies specializes in creating products for the treatment of scars.

Its designed to treat all kind of scars like Keloid,burns and Hypertrophic. Unlike traditional silicone gel sheets, Kelo-Cote is very easy to use, and is free of the limitations associated with gel sheets, such as the difficulty of usage on the face and joints. For people with Keloid and Hypertropic scars this gel has beenrecommened by surgeons and will help flatten and smooth the scar, while also maintaining the moisture balance and elasticity of the surrounding skin.

For those looking for an easy way to reduce scarring, Kelo-Cote is a new advancement in scar treatment and can be used to treat scars as soon as skin is closed, or when stitches are removed.

7e143cf79ecc75a Scar Treatment

Kelo-cote® should be used to help, treat, reduce, prevent and soften the following types of scars:

  • Keloid scars
  • Hypertrophic scars
  • Burn scars
  • Plastic surgery scars
  • Breast augmentation scars
  • Breast reduction scars
  • Breast implant scars
  • Tummy tuck scars
  • Caesarian section scars
  • Mastectomy scars
  • Hysterectomy scars
  • Body contouring scars
  • Body piercing scars
  • Cleft lip scars


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Stretch Marks

Most of us have a few stretch marks somewhere on our bodies after all it affects 80 percent of people worldwide. Stretch marks are a kind of scarring which occurs when the tissue lying just beneath the skin expands at a faster rate than the outer layer of skin. Expectant Women are prone to develop stretch marks towards the end of there pregnancy when the tummy area rapidly expands. People can also develop stretch marks if they put on too much weight or through excessive muscle growth. Although stretch marks aren’t a disease or a disability they can still have a negative effect on someone’s life. They can cause stress depression and lower self-esteem. In some cases people will avoid showing there body in public and avoid places like beaches and swimming pools.  

Treatment for Stretch Marks  

Unfortunately stretch marks are permanent in the sense that the skin in these areas will never be completely normal but after time they will shrink down to much smaller thin white scars.

  • Mederma stretch mark therapy is a new product which has some great reviews. It claims to greatly improve the appearance of stretch marks after treating the affected areas over a twelve week period.
  • Cocoa butter cream which is sold in pharmacies might be worth a try because its recommended to soften scars.  
  • Collagen creams claim that they will help reduce stretch marks but there is no evidence for this.In fact collagen put onto the surface of skin can’t penetrate to the deeper layers.
  • Derma Rollers also claim they can significantly reduce stretch marks and many consultants agree with this because the micro needles on the roller can penetrate the outer layers of skin.
  • Laser Treatment can be used early when the stretch marks are still red. They can get rid of the red colour and speed up the contracting process but its uncertain it will make any difference in the long run and because of its cost I couldn’t recommend it.                                              


Scar reduction patches

 I’ve heard about scar reduction patches many times over the last few years but unfortunately I’ve never tried them myself,mainly because my scars are in awkward places around my eyes and because camouflage make up hide scars pretty well.I’ve heard nothing but good things about them in the press like Anna Jones experience using them.After undergoing heart surgery 13 years ago Anna Jones was left with a reddened, raised scar running 21 centimetres from her chest to her collarbone, that she thought she would be stuck with for life.Anna who is a a 26-year-old production assistant for the Royal National Theatre says”I often caught people staring at my chest because the scar stretched beyond the line of most tops and was very noticeable” ”I often wished it wasn’t there, but I felt there was nothing I could do to hide it.’ But a new patch she tried changed that, because now Anna’s scar has not only faded, it is flat.When you place it over the damaged area, where it adds heat and moisture, a Scar Reduction Patch has been found to reduce the appearance of unsightly scars by up to 75 per cent.”I felt very half-hearted when I was asked to test the patch – I’d had my scar for 13 years and felt it had healed as much as it ever would,”Anna says.”But, to my surprise, after about three weeks of wearing patches for 12 hours a day, I noticed the scar fading. Now all the discolouration is gone, and all the raised, bumpy areas are much flatter.”Left alone, raised and reddened scars can take up to two years to heal – and some like Anna’s, never do.But, according to Elastoplast,the company that make the patches, the combination of moisture and heat can reduce that healing time to around two months.    

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The patches, which come in a pack of 21, are designed to be worn daily for at least 12 hours over eight to ten weeks, the time period required for optimal healing.”Research has found the patches effective on all surgical and non-surgical scars which remain red or raised after the healing process is completed, no matter how old the scar is,” says Jenny Wild, clinical manager at Elastoplast.Exactly why the patches are so effective isn’t fully understood, but increasing heat and moisture around scar tissue appears to trigger the healing process.”Raising the temperature beneath the skin is thought to boost the action of enzymes involved with tissue repair,”Jenny explains.”The heat also boosts circulation and oxygen supply to the area, which aids healing and reduces redness. The scars are thought to flatten out because the slight pressure the patch exerts on the skin reduces the production of excess collagen.”Dr John English, dermatologist at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, says the patches should be particularly useful for anyone with scars on their chest or back.”The chest, shoulders and back are prone to lumpy scars, which can take a few years to settle down,’ he explains. “This patch can speed up this process.”Also, if applied early enough, it might stop the scar from becoming as raised.”Vitally, the patches, which are sold at Boots and many outlets over the internet, should help thousands of people whose self-image has suffered because of visible and unsightly marks.”Raised, reddened markings, particularly on the face, can cause tremendous psychological damage, especially in young women,” says Dr David Lewis, a psychologist who runs a research consultancy in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.”People with scars often imagine they’re ten times worse than they actually are – they can really damage confidence, making a person feel self-conscious, shy and depressed.’Scar reduction patches could be of tremendous value to these people, he adds.”Anything that reduces the appearance of unsightly marks would give people with scars more self-confidence, and these patches will certainly help,” says Dr Lewis.For Anna, the effect of the patches has been nothing short of miraculous. “In the years after my heart operation, the scar made me feel terribly self-conscious.Even though it faded slightly, the scar remained dark pink and raised.”"It runs from just above my belly to just below my collarbone so, unless I wear polo-necks, people can always see it.”In my teens, I felt people stared at my scar all the time. I never wore strappy tops like other girls and always wore swimsuits rather than bikinis. Other people don’t think twice about the clothes they put on, but I do. And they never get stared at because of something strange about the way they look.”Since she wore the patches at the beginning of the year, Anna’s scar has become barely visible. “I wore patches for 12 hours a day for ten weeks and I’m really quite amazed,” says Anna.”I really didn’t expect them to work, but after three weeks the colour began fading. By ten weeks, all the extra pigmentation had gone and the scar is now the same colour as my skin. It’s also much less raised – while it’s a little bumpy at the top, the rest is flat.”Basically, there’s been an improvement of 70 percent, which is a thousand times better than I’d ever have imagined. I feel so much better about the way I look, I’ve bought a whole new set of summer clothes.”