Keloids are raised scars and if you have one, you might call it a scar gone crazy. They can be painful and also itch. When they grow large on a prominent location on the body, patients’ self-esteem can suffer.
This patient had a large keloid on her chest. We started injections in December and the “after” photo you see is from a few days ago in early May. I chose injections over surgical removal because I felt surgery would risk recurrence, which could be larger and worse.
After her first appointment and injection I suggested she begin using Serica moisturizing scar cream.
As you see from the “after” photo she does have some loss of pigment from the Kenalog injections, but my expectations are that the pigment will normalize with time. As long as there is no trauma to the area, I expect no recurrence of the keloid.
I suggested that she use Obagi Exfoderm on the area to keep the skin cells turning over.
If you want to learn more about keloids and their treatment, the American Academy of Dermatology has a great resource online that covers the symptoms, causes, treatments and tips on prevention of keloids.
