Keloids - Information on Keloids

Keloids is basically a skin disease typical to youth, but Keloids may occur to the people at any age. Keloids usually occur in people with dark skin. This skin disorder can occur on any part of the body that has been injured.

We have provided you here all symptoms, causes and treatment methods of Keloids. Keloids are produced when excess collagen builds up at the site of a healing scar, producing excess tissue. A keloid is a itchy, hard, red lump on the skin.

Causes of Keloids

The causes of Keloids includes:

Skin injuries as surgical incisions, traumatic wounds, vaccination sites, burns, chickenpox, acne, or even minor scratches leads to formation of Keloids. Young women and African Americans have keloids very commmonly. Keloidosis is a term used when multiple or repeated keloids are produced. Most keloids will flatten and become less noticeable over a period of several years. They may become irritated from rubbing on clothing or other forms of friction. Extensive keloids may become binding, limiting mobility. They may cause cosmetic changes and affect the appearance. Exposure to the sun during the first year of the keloid's formation will cause the keloid to tan darker than surrounding skin. This dark coloration may become permanent.

Treatment of Keloids

Generally Keloids need no treatment. Two or more treatments may be combined for better results as there is no single treatment for keloids. If you decide to pursue treatment for a keloid scar, you will have the best results if you start treatment soon after the keloid appears. Available treatments include:

• Removal with conventional surgery — This unreliable technique requires great care, and keloids that return after being removed may be larger than the original. Keloids return in more than 45% of people when they are removed surgically. Keloids are less likely to return if surgical removal is combined with other treatments.
  
• Dressings — Moist wound coverings made of silicone gel sheets have been shown in studies to reduce the size of keloids over time. This treatment is safe and painless.
  
• Corticosteroid injections — Injections with triamcinolone acetonide or another corticosteroid medicine typically are repeated at intervals of four to six weeks. This treatment may reduce keloid size and irritation, but injections are uncomfortable.
  
• Compression — This involves using a bandage or tape to apply continuous pressure 24 hours a day for a period of six to 12 months. Compression can cause a keloid to become smaller. For keloids that form at the site of an ear piercing, a clip known as a Zimmer splint usually reduces keloid size by at least 50% after one year of compression. Zimmer splints that look like earrings are available.
  
• Cryosurgery — This freezing treatment with liquid nitrogen is repeated every 20 to 30 days. It can cause a side effect of lightening the skin color, which limits this treatment's usefulness.
  
• Radiation therapy — This therapy is controversial because radiation increases the risk of cancer. Radiation treatments may reduce scar formation if they are used soon after a surgery, during the time a surgical wound is healing.
  
• Laser therapy — This is an alternative to conventional surgery for keloid removal. There is no good evidence that keloids are less likely to recur after laser therapy than after regular surgery.
  
• Experimental treatments — One treatment showing promise is injecting keloid scars with medicines that were developed to treat autoimmune illnesses or cancers. Treatments with these medicines (various types of interferon and the chemotherapy agents 5-fluorouracil and bleomycin) will need to be evaluated further before they are appropriate for use outside of research studies.

• >Discoloration from sun exposure can be prevented by covering the forming keloid with a patch or bandaid, or using sunblockers when spending time in the sun (for at least 6 months after injury or surgery for an adult; up to 18 months for a child).