What are Keloid Scars and how to Avoid Them?

Scars that are abnormally large and which outgrow the site of the original trauma or injury that caused them, are known as keloid scars or keloidal scars. Unlike another kind of scarring called hypertrophic scars, the keloid scars can grow beyond the site of the wound.

Keloid

They can be flesh colored or reddish; darker brown in color with itchiness or pain also being side effects in some cases.

It is typically a raised, discoloration of damaged skin, with certain areas of the body and certain ethnicities being more susceptible to the scar formation.

They are more likely to occur in the upper back, sternum, deltoid region as well as the earlobes and nape of the neck areas.

Darker skinned groups are also more susceptible.

Keloid scars are strange in that they can occur even without any particular reason. However the most common causes are an injury or repeated trauma or tension in a particular site of the body. Infection of a cut or wound; or the presence of a foreign body can also result in keloid scars.

Sometimes cosmetic procedures such as piercings and tattoos can also cause the scaring to Appear. Also keloid scars seem to run in families so there also seems to be a genetic constituent to this.

Keloid scars are not something that can be avoided or controlled; some kinds of skins seem predisposed to this condition. However it can help to make sure that wounds are never left untreated and that infection isn’t allowed to set in.

For those who have this kind of scarring in the family, it is advisable not to get any piercings or tattoos performed. Also if one has to undergo any kind of surgery, one’s predisposition to the scarring must be mentioned to the surgeon.

There are two options – surgical and non surgical that can help to get rid of keloid scarring.