How to treat keloid scars

When it comes to the disease of keloid, I believe many people are not unfamiliar with it. Because keloid is a type of fibroma, this disease is closely related to our physical constitution. Keloid will appear and form whenever the skin is traumatized or bitten by insects, and may even be extremely itchy or stinging. So what is the best way to treat keloid scars?

Keloid is a relatively harmful disease. It mainly affects both men and women, and is extremely painful. Even the slightest touch of clothing can cause pain, so it needs to be treated promptly. Here I will give you a detailed introduction on how to treat keloid scars.

Introduction to Keloid

Traditional Chinese medicine calls it keloid or giant scar disease, which is a type of fibroid. This disease is related to physical constitution and is the product of excessive proliferation of fibrous connective tissue. If the epidermis of people with scar-prone constitution is damaged, such as by trauma, mosquito bites, etc., there is a high possibility of forming keloids. Keloids are tumor-like proliferations that protrude from the surface of the skin. They are smooth, shiny red, and often have dilated capillaries extending outward. The skin is damaged to the point where the edges protrude outward, the crab claws become deformed, and there is an itchy or tingling or burning sensation. Since the pain is acute, it may be due to the sensitivity of nerve endings or the formation of microneuromas, and even the slightest touch of clothing may cause pain. Keloids often occur on the chest, shoulders, neck, back and auricles. It can occur in both men and women.

symptom

Once a wound appears on the skin, the human body will begin to heal automatically. There are two mechanisms for wound healing. If the wound is in the epidermis, the human body will produce the same cell tissue to fill it without leaving any scars. However, if the wound penetrates deep into the dermis, in order to prevent the wound from cracking, the skin will produce strong scar tissue to effectively connect the wound. Within three to six months after an injury, scar tissue will continue to proliferate, which is called the proliferative phase. During this period, the human body will proliferate tiny blood vessels near the wound to supply nutrition to the scar tissue. Therefore, early scars look red and raised, and feel hard like a rope. If the healing process goes smoothly, the proliferative phase will be followed by the mature phase. Scars in the mature phase will become lighter, flatter and softer, and the average time is also three to six months.

prevention

Keloid is an important complication of trauma and injury. Burns, scalds, trauma, wounds, acne, ear piercing, vaccinations, etc. can all cause keloids and scar hyperplasia to varying degrees. The prevention measures for keloids mainly focus on the immature stages before and during scar formation. The main purpose is to avoid factors that may cause scar hyperplasia, reduce scar growth, and prevent various deformities and functional disorders caused by scars to the body. Therefore, to effectively prevent keloids, you need to pay attention to preventing trauma, burns, ear piercing, eyebrow tattooing, etc., especially in areas with poor immune function, such as the chest, shoulders and back, so as to avoid loss of dermis. If the scar is severe, be careful to reduce mechanical, chemical, and thermal stimulation to the affected area, and avoid repeated traction, friction, ulceration, and infection. In addition, you should pay attention to your diet, because some foods can stimulate keloids to grow faster, while some foods (such as kelp) can stabilize keloids.

How to treat keloid scars

Fat injections: Deep scars caused by fat loss can be healed with fat injections. This is sometimes called a lipoinjection. In this treatment, fat is surgically removed from another part of the body, rinsed, and then injected into the scar to create fat growth there. This healing effect usually lasts 6 to 12 months.

Chemical peels: Mild or superficial peels—just the top layer of skin cells gently removed—are treated with trichloroacetic acid or alpha-hydroxy acid. For very severe acne, doctors use phenol peels, which are usually performed by a plastic surgeon under general anesthesia. For common scars, you can ask your doctor to perform a trichloroacetic acid peel. These peels are very effective in healing pit-like scars.

Punch excision: This treatment is very effective for narrow, deep, "ice pick" scars. The doctor uses a round, burr-shaped chisel to cut away the scar and then sews the edges together.

Laser dermabrasion: This treatment uses a carbon dioxide laser to polish the skin. Unlike dermabrasion, laser dermabrasion is a relatively bloodless method of skin resurfacing. But like dermabrasion, laser treatment has its drawbacks—if used improperly, it can create new scars or uneven pigmentation.

Features

1. Systemic factors may play a major role, especially specific physical fitness factors, which sometimes also show genetic characteristics. The keloids in these patients often have no obvious relationship with the severity of skin damage. Even minor trauma, such as mosquito bites, vaccinations, and needle injuries, can cause keloids. 2. Racial differences: According to statistical analysis, the incidence of keloids in people with dark skin is 6-9 times higher than that in people with light skin. This may be related to the abnormal metabolism of melanocyte-stimulating hormone. 3. Significant sites of incidence: commonly found on the sternum, deltoid muscle of the shoulder, auricle, mandible, and upper back. 4. The lesion lasts for a long time and continues to grow for many years. As the lesion progresses, the scar extends beyond the original base and gradually infiltrates and expands to the surrounding normal skin. 5. After simple surgical excision and suture treatment, recurrence is very likely, and the stronger the proliferation force, the larger the scar area than the original one, and the faster the growth rate. Therefore, surgical excision cannot be performed at will.

After reading the detailed answer to the question of how to best treat keloids, I believe that you all have a general understanding. There are many treatments for keloids, including fat injection, chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing, etc. In addition, you should try your best to avoid the increase of scars and prevent some trauma, burns, etc., so that you can prevent this type of disease.