WHAT ARE KELOIDS?

Keloids are an overgrowth of scar tissue after an injury has healed. Fibrous tissues are formed over the wounds to repair the injury. But sometimes extra scar tissue grows over the healed injury forming hard smooth growths called keloids.

However keloids can appear in any part of the body but most commonly keloids appear on the chest, earlobes, shoulders, and jawline. Though keloids have no harmful effect on the body it causes cosmetic concerns.

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR KELOIDS?

• Keloids are common in men and women.
• Keloids are less common in children and the elder.
• Melanin also has a direct relation with keloids as people with darker skin are more developed than them.
• In some cases, the tendency to form keloids seems to run in families.
• People with blood group A are more prone to develop keloids as compared to other blood groups.

WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS OF KELOIDS?

There is no complication as such but sometimes due to trauma, the keloid may be predisposed to localized bacterial infection.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF KELOIDS?

• Keloids are raised shiny, and dome-shaped growth.
• The color may vary from pink to red.
• Some keloids are quite large and unsightly.
• Keloids may have itching also.
• Swollen blood vessels in the skin.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF KELOIDS?

• A keloid is caused by an excess of a protein (collagen) in the skin during healing.
• Keloids are a variation of the normal skin’s healing process, usually deep skin wounds, upon trauma.
• Excessive proliferation of normal tissue results in keloids.
• Any skin injury may contribute to keloid formation like acne scars, piercings, chickenpox scars, surgery scars, vaccination sites, etc.

DIAGNOSIS OF KELOIDS

Visual appearance is enough for diagnosing keloids. Keloids are often lumpy or ridged. The scar rises after an injury or condition has healed. Keloids develop most often on the chest, back, shoulder, and earlobes. They seldom develop on the face except for the jawline.

TREATMENT OF KELOIDS

Conventional treatment includes surgery, laser, cryotherapy, corticosteroid injections, radiation, silicone gel, or sheeting. But they seldom help and sometimes make the situation worse as the keloid reappears and sometimes doubles in size. So homeopathic medicines are the best option for the treatment of keloids.

MANAGEMENT OF KELOIDS

• If the body has a tendency for keloid formation then injuries should be avoided that could lead to scarring.

• Patients should be advised to use pressure pads or silicone pads on the injury areas.

• Over-exposure to the sun should be avoided by the patient as melanin reduction would make the situation worse.

• Avoid further trauma to the keloid

• Don't cut the keloid.

• Take homeopathic medicines.

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Homeopathic medicines like thiosinaminum, graphites, Silicea, nitric acid, fluoric acid, causticum, calendula, etc have wondrous results in the treatment of such cases depending on the case and the patient. Medicines should always be taken after consulting the doctor.

DO’s AND DON’Ts

Do’s

• Apply a protective silicone sheet or pressure pads over the affected area.
• Use sunscreen while going out in sun.
• Take a healthy diet.
• keep the keloid moisturized.

Don’ts:-

• Don’t make incisions across joints, which are high-stress areas for the skin.
• Don’t make tight sutures as it would increase tension at the wound site and may trigger over-scarring.
• Don't get the keloids further traumatized as it would increase the size of the keloids.
• Don't go for surgical removal of keloids or for corticosteroids.