What is Keloid Scarring?
Keloid scarring, a scar that is raised above the skin, occurs when the body creates abnormal and excessive levels of collagen in attempt to heal any trauma that takes place on the skin. The raised scars can develop immediately after healing, or over time periods from months to years after the initial injury, depending on the individual.
The keloid scars themselves remain visibly raised above the skin, enlarged, discoloured to the natural skin tone and can appear bigger than the original wound, hence why people with the condition may feel uncomfortable, insecure and looking for a fix to remove what is left behind from the initial trauma.
The most common body area for keloid Scarring is in the upper body such as the chest, shoulders, neck and head, although this result of excessive collagen can occur anywhere on the body or face where trauma transpires. This trauma can be as little as a cut, bite, scratch, burn, or piercing. Anyone can unfortunately contract a keloid scar, but they are more common in those with dark skin, such as people from African-Caribbean or South Indian descent.
Common visible attributes of keloid scarring:
- They are commonly larger and more visible than the initial wound itself
- The scars are visibly and substantially raised above surrounding skin
- The scars are solid, rubber-like and bumpy in texture, causing the area to be uncomfortable and continuously itch
- The scars may initially appear in a pink, red or purple tone in colour, although can develop to fade into a paler brown colour
How we treat keloid Scarring
Treating any extent of keloid or hypertrophic scarring can be a challenge and involve risks, due to the majority of ablative or surgical treatments for regular scarring resulting in intensifying keloid scars and making their appearance worse.
However, Dr Somji offers a procedure to treat scarring that can also effectively and safely treat raised keloid and hypertrophic scarring with no risk of exacerbating the condition.
Treating keloid scarring
Dr Somji’s protocol for treating keloid scarring involves the injection of a corticosteroid solution directly into the scar tissue. The steroid within this solution breaks down the bonds between the over-produced collagen fibres, which cause the scar to keloid, and is responsible for the scars raised appearance. Reducing the over-produced collagen will ensure that the keloid scar transforms into a normal, flat scar on the skin, due to the regular balanced level of collagen no longer causing it to be enlarged.
Dr Somji’s steroid injection treatment will encourage the scar tissue between the skin to dramatically decrease, concluding in the scars volume reducing, and the scar remaining smooth and flat on the skin as opposed to raised.
The treatment in most cases may be followed by additional management after the initial injection to achieve best results, such as laser treatments to reduce the scars appearance on the skin and reduce redness or discoloration, or the application of a silicone gel sheet for several months to reduce the appearance further.
The treatment process
Before carrying out any treatment, Dr Somji will hold an initial consultation where your concerns, medical background, and scarring will be assessed in depth, before advising the best possible treatment and designing a bespoke treatment plan to treat your keloid scars. Throughout this consultation and analysis, Dr Somji is able to inform you of all treatments possible for your specific condition, agree on your outcome expectations, and provide clarity on the procedure that will go ahead.
During the agreed treatment and after topical numbing of the specific area, a small amount of the corticosteroid will be injected in to the concern area, being the keloid scar itself. We advise that the patient may feel slight stinging, although this is normal and expected during the injection.
The positive thing about this particular treatment is the lack of any downtime. Once the patient has had their treatment, being the injection, they will be able to retreat back to any regular daily activities as normal, before continuing in the future with further treatments as advised in their plan created in the initial consultation.
Book your consultation with Dr Somji
There is no cure for initially developing keloid or hypertrophic scars, but Dr Somji, board certified surgeon and KOL, is able to rectify any scarring that you do obtain and decrease the appearance, size and volume of them, through his highly-effective, specialist procedures.
Contact us today to find out more information, or to book a consultation with Dr Somji himself, and start your scar removal journey!