What is Keloid? 

Keloid is a kind of scar that grows bigger than the original injury or wound. Unlike regular scars that fade away with time, keloids can be larger, more noticeable, and keep on growing. They are formed due to an excess production of collagen during the healing process and can feel firm, smooth, and shiny. While keloids are not harmful, they can be itchy, tender, or cause discomfort.

Causes and Risk Factors:

• The causes of Keloid scars are still not fully understood by experts, but they are believed to occur due to a malfunction in the wound healing process. The body produces an excessive amount of collagen, a protein necessary for healing wounds, which leads to the formation of keloids. These enlarged scars can be triggered by various types of skin injuries such as insect bites, acne, injections, body piercing, burns, hair removal, and even minor scratches and bumps. Interestingly, keloids can also develop without any apparent cause. 
• It's important to remember that keloids are not contagious or cancerous. 

Risk factors for keloids include:

• Having brown or Black skin. Keloids are most common in people with brown or Black skin. The reason for this predisposition is unknown.
• Having a personal or family history of keloids. Keloids can run in families, indicating that the tendency might be inherited. If you've had one keloid, you're at risk of developing others.
• Being under 30. You're more likely to develop a keloid if you're between the ages of 20 and 30.
• Any injury to the skin, such as surgical incisions, burns, piercings, or even minor cuts, can trigger keloid formation.

Symptoms:

A keloid scar can develop months to years after the initial injury, and signs and symptoms may include:

• Thick, irregular scarring, typically on the earlobes, shoulders, cheeks or middle chest
• Raised, overgrown scars
• Varying in size
• Shiny, hairless, lumpy, raised skin
• Color changes (pink, red, brown)
• Itching (pruritus)
• Tenderness
• Spreading beyond the original injury
• Development after minor injuries

Treatment:

Corticosteroid cream:  Applying a corticosteroid cream as prescribed can provide relief from itching.

Freezing the scar: This treatment, known as cryotherapy, can help make scars softer and smaller. It's most effective for small keloids.

Laser therapy: This can help make the keloid smoother and lighten its color.

Surgical removal:  This includes surgically removing the keloid. However, in many cases, keloids may come back even after this treatment.

Pressure treatment: Applying pressure to the area after keloid surgery decreases blood flow, helping to prevent the recurrence of keloids.

Wearing silicone sheets or gel over the scar:  This can help flatten the keloid.

Radiation Therapy: Low-dose X-ray therapy, used alone or after surgery to remove keloids, can help decrease scar tissue, potentially requiring multiple sessions.

Prevention

• Minimize keloid risk by avoiding skin injuries, ear piercing, and unnecessary surgery.
• If surgery is unavoidable, especially in scar-prone areas, inform your doctor about keloid susceptibility.
• Initiate preventive measures post-surgery, such as corticosteroid shots and pressure dressings.
• For ear piercings, reduce scarring risk by wearing pressure earrings.
• Sun exposure or tanning can darken the scar, making the keloid more prominent, to avoid discoloration, cover the scar when in the sun.