A ‘Keloid’ is a scar that can occur anywhere on the body. The presence of such scars is very common around the earlobe piercing area. However, they can appear anywhere on the face and/or the body. Keloid scars also tend to be more prominent in darker skin colors, so African Americans, Asians, Indians, and Hispanics tend to have an increased likelihood of suffering from these scars. Asians such as the Chinese tend to be more prone to ‘Keloid’ type scars, as well.
Following any type of injury, inflammation, cut or infection, there’s a chance that patients will develop these types of scars as a result of out of proportion growth from the affected area. They tend to be cosmetically unpleasant, bother patients and sometimes cause pain, as well.
Keloid scars are treated in a multi-modality fashion which means that merely removing the deep Keloid scars and closing them is not enough. The earlier mentioned treatments should be combined with additional methods. Normally, most surgeons inject a substance known as ‘Kenalog’ which is a steroid injection. This helps to alleviate the recurrence of a Keloid scar. However, a higher number of Keloid scars, depending on the location, tend to come back. Hence, many patients may need radiation therapy to arrive at a near complete cure.
Doctors use a technique called closed field radiation, the treatment is solely aimed at the scar. The risk of radiation in the affected area, however, tends to be minimal since the radiation is concentrated only at the scar. Radiation therapy is usually performed in conjunction with a radiation oncologist who will treat the patient with three rounds of radiation. Since radiation therapy is used in conjunction with the scar revision surgery, the treatment tends to give the patient a lower recurrence rate and the best result.
