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Several treatment options can help remove or shrink keloids, bulbs of scar tissue that form on piercings. This includes procedures at the dermatologist’s office and home remedies. You may also be able to prevent a keloid with prompt action.
Help! Is This A Keloid Or A Hypertrophic Scar? It's An Industrial, About A Month Old And The Bump Developed Last Week And Has Gotten Bigger Since Then. I Have Maybe Accidentally
Keloids are overgrowths of scar tissue caused by trauma to your skin. They’re common after ear piercings and can form on both the lobe and cartilage of your ear. Keloids can range in color from light pink to dark brown.
As wounds heal, fibrous scar tissue starts to replace old skin tissue. Sometimes your body makes too much scar tissue, leading to keloids. This extra tissue starts to spread out from the original wound, causing a bump or small mass that’s larger than the original piercing.
On the ear, keloids typically begin as small round bumps around the piercing site. Sometimes they develop quickly, but usually they appear several months after you pierce your ear. Your keloid may continue growing slowly for the next few months.
Steps To Prevent A Keloid Scar Formation
Keloids are particularly hard to get rid of. Even when they’re successfully removed, they tend to reappear eventually. Most dermatologists recommend a combination of different treatments for long-lasting results.
Your doctor can surgically remove a keloid from your ear using a scalpel. However, this creates a new wound that will likely develop a keloid as well. When treated with surgery alone, keloids usually come back. That’s why doctors typically recommend other treatments, in addition to surgery, that prevent the keloid from coming back.
If you have surgery to remove an ear keloid, your doctor may recommend wearing a pressure earring after the procedure. These are earrings that place uniform pressure on part of your ear, which can help prevent a keloid from forming after surgery.
Scar Revision & Keloid Treatment
However, pressure earrings are also very uncomfortable for most people, and they need to be worn for 16 hours a day for 6 to 12 months.
There are also several nonsurgical treatment options you can try. While you might not be able to completely get rid of a keloid, many of these options can help to significantly shrink it.
Doctors can inject medications directly into your keloid to help shrink it, relieve symptoms, and make it softer. You’ll receive injections every three to four weeks until the keloid improves. This usually takes about four office visits.
The Piercing Keloid: Earlobe Keloids And Cartilage Keloids
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 50 to 80 percent of keloids shrink after treatment with injections. However, they also note many people experience a reoccurrence within five years.
Cryotherapy treatments freeze the keloid. They work best when combined with other treatments, especially steroid injections. Your doctor may recommend three or more cryotherapy treatments, either before or after receiving your series of steroid injections.
Laser treatments can reduce the size and fade the color of keloids. Like most other treatments, laser therapy is usually done in conjunction with another method.
Keloid On Ear: Piercings, Other Causes, Treatment, Removal, Preve
A ligature is a surgical thread that’s tied around the base of larger keloids. Over time, the thread cuts into the keloid and causes it to fall off. You’ll need to have a new ligature tied on every three to four weeks until your keloid falls off.
While there are no clinically proven home remedies that can completely remove keloids, there are a few treatments you can use to reduce their appearance.
Show that silicone gels can improve the texture and fade the color of keloids. One study found that 34 percent of raised scars became significantly flatter after daily application of a silicone gel.
What Is A Keloid: Causes, Treatment, & Removal
Also show that silicone can help prevent keloid formation, so your doctor might recommend using it after surgery as well. You can buy both silicone gel and silicone gel patches online without a prescription.
One study found that an onion extract gel can reduce the height and symptoms of raised scars. However, it didn’t have much of an effect on the overall appearance of scars.
Keloids are hard to treat. If you’re prone to developing them, follow these tips to reduce your risk of developing a new one:
Are Piercing Keloids Normal?
Keloids are hard to treat, so it’s best to seek out advice from your doctor. Most people with keloids, either on their ears or elsewhere, respond best to a combination of treatments.
If you know you tend to develop them, there are also steps you can take to try to prevent future keloids from forming. It’s best to consult a dermatologist, who may suggest a combination of several different treatments.
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