Keloid Scar Treatments - What You Should Know

What are keloids, anyway?
First, let's discuss what a keloid scar is. They are basically made up of fibrous material within the confines of a scar, such as a chicken pox scar or a body piercing gone awry. They can range in size, from tiny and barely noticeable except to the touch, or they can get so large as to be an annoyance and in the way. They are generally smooth to the touch, and range in color from pink to red.

The problem
The problem with keloid scars is that they don't stop growing and migrating into flesh that hasn't been injured. The keloid itself is made up of scar tissue that never stopped growing or stopped after there was a large and noticeable bulge present on the surface of the skin. Most regular scars tend to fade away over time, but keloids do not.

There is no known reason why keloids happen. Some studies say that darker skinned people tend to get them more often than lighter skinned, but there is no definitive proof of this. Nor is there any reason to think that women get them more often than men, even though studies seem to indicate this. It is true, however, that women tend to have more piercings, thus having more opportunities to develop keloids. This may or may not be the reason why studies indicate women get them more often than men.

Is it possible to prevent keloid scars?
Since medical science has no idea why keloid scars occur nor for whom they will present, it is impossible to suggest any sort of preventative measures. If you have had them before or if you have other family members who have had them, then there's a good chance you will develop them with your next piercing. But there is no guarantee. The only way to avoid keloid scars is to not wound yourself, whether deliberately through body piercing or accidentally.

When Prevention Is Not Enough
Not injuring yourself is not always so easy. Accidents happen. Illnesses, like chicken pox, also happen and can cause keloid scars. There are measures one can take to get rid of keloids, but re-occurrance is very likely. Radiation, chemotherapy drugs, steroids, surgery and healing creams and gels all have their merits, but also have drawbacks. For example, A woman with whom I was speaking concerning her keloid problems told me that after 5 surgeries to remove the same scars, over and over, the only thing that worked, finally, for her was a combination of surgery, steroids and radiation.

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