Keloid

A kel­oid is an exces­si­ve scar that grows bey­ond the ori­gi­nal wound. Unli­ke a hyper­tro­phic scar it does not regress on its own and can itch or hurt.

Appli­ca­ti­on

Kel­oids form pre­fe­ren­ti­al­ly on the breast­bo­ne, should­er, upper arm and ear­lo­be, for exam­p­le after pier­cings. Peo­p­le with dar­ker skin are affec­ted more often, and the­re is also a fami­li­al predisposition.

Good to know

Tre­at­ment is with cor­ti­so­ne injec­tions, sili­co­ne dres­sings, cryo­the­ra­py or lasers, often in com­bi­na­ti­on. Sur­gi­cal rem­oval on its own is ris­ky, becau­se the kel­oid fre­quent­ly returns lar­ger after­wards. Whe­re a ten­den­cy is known, any plan­ned pro­ce­du­re should be weig­hed up carefully.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Scar tre­at­ment