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Keloids are among the most difficult type of scar tissue to treat. They have a high recurrence rate which limits your surgical options. Also, some people experience the type of keloids that just keeping growing.

Fortunately, there are a few treatment options available for people who suffer from small and larger keloid scars. However, finding the right scar treatment will depend greatly on the size and location of the lesion. Keep in mind that certain people have a tendency to produce keloid scars.

What Exactly Is a Keloid Scar?

When someone talks about keloids, keloid scar or keloidal scarring they're talking about the same thing. To say that a keloid is a scar is a bit misguided. Keloids are actually benign fibrotic tumors that are characterized by excessive amounts of collagen, elastin and proteoglycans - all of which make up normal skin tissue.

A keloid can be small or extensive. Not only does size determine the severity of this scar tissue, but also its location. If a keloid appears over a joint, it can cause mobility problems as well as pain.

Options for Keloid Scar Treatment

Keloid treatment used on minor scars usually consists of compression therapy and intralesional corticosteroid injections. Surgery may not be suitable for smaller lesions due to the high recurrence rate of keloid scars.

Compression therapy may be done with silicone bandages or compression garments. Compression garments are worn permanently for several months or a year depending on the size of the keloid. They can be custom fitted to offer more comfort.

The pulsed-dye laser is used to reduce redness and flatten keloids. This type of treatment is safe and not very painful, however, you'll have to undergo several treatment sessions before seeing results. The cost of this type of treatment may be costly, especially considering the fact that such treatments are not generally covered by insurance plans.

Surgery is generally the best option for larger keloids as these may restrict movement and cause pain or discomfort. This type of keloid removal allows doctors the possibility to monitor and control any new keloid formation. However, before submitting yourself to surgical keloid scar removal, there are several things that need to be done.

Before surgery, the doctor may treat the keloid with corticosteroid injections. Depending on their success, he or she will determine whether it is convenient to proceed with surgery or not.

During surgery, steroid injection may also be used as a way of controlling the development of a new keloid. Injections may also be applied after surgery. Compression therapy is also a common post-op treatment used to help keep new keloids from forming.

Other treatment options, alternative and complementary, include radiation, interferon injections and fluorouracil injections. All of these treatments have shown promise in both treating and preventing keloid formation.