Keloids are unpredicable, annoying, occasionally stubborn, and always unsightly. A keloid forms when the body is trying to repair an injury to skin and the repair process goes a bit overboard. The body starts to lay down new skin protein (collagen) trying to repair the injury, but something goes wrong with the signalling process and the collagen keeps getting deposited even though there is already enough to repair the skin. This extra collagen is firm and can become red and itchy when the keloid is growing, which can be intermittent at times.

How do we treat keloids?

Although we don’t know what actually causes the body to form keloids we have several methods of treatment.  If we catch the keloid early we can inject some medication (5-fluorouracil and/or triamcinolone acetonide) which will often slow and sometimes even reverse the process.  This typically causes the keloid to soften, and any itching and redness to resolve.  Often the injections are repeated monthly for 3 or 4 months to achieve the best resolution.

If  the keloid is more mature and is no longer growing then we can cut it off  (surgical excision) and then inject some medication monthly for a few months after the excision to prevent return of the keloid.  Sometimes a keloid will remain quiet for several months or years, and then become active again with swelling, itching, and redness.  This will also typically respond to injections, and if not then reexcision can be performed. 

 

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