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Keloids

Whenever the skin is injured, an abnormal tissue that is fibrous called the scar tissue quickly forms on top of the injury in order to fix and safeguard that area. At times, this additional scar tissue develops, framing a smooth and shiny layer of hard lumps called keloids. Keloids can be a lot bigger than your original scar or injury. They're most usually found on the shoulders, chest, neck, cheeks, and earlobes. It should be noted that it is not quite possible to reduce the keloids naturally at home and you will definitely need a doctor's assistance in removing them. 

Despite the fact that keloids are not harmful to your health, they might cause great concerns in terms of appearance. Keloids can be removed with the help of various treatment techniques and once the treatment is done, the patient can see immediate results but the skin healing may take as long as a couple of months. But, do keloids go away permanently? The answer is yes and no. Sometimes they never return, while in some cases they almost always return - and this completely differs from person to person and cannot be determined by any specific cause as to why they might return.

Symptoms 

It takes anywhere between 3months to 1 year for the keloids to form on your skin. If you are prone to develop keloids, these are some of the signs and symptoms that you might notice;

• A huge hard bump that is often pink, red or according to the skin tone of the person 
• An elevated lumpy area of skin that is hairless
• An area of skin that keeps growing larger over time
• Gets darker in colour over time
• Tenderness 
• Hard and rubbery or soft and doughy in nature but does not move from its place
• Itchiness or burning sensation
• Sense of irritation and discomfort

Causes

Although there is still no clear evidence as to why a keloid is caused, it is most likely a malfunction that is caused during the wound healing process in your skin. If you’re wondering what causes keloids to be formed, here are some of the events in which a keloid formation might be triggered;

• Too much production of collagen 
• Insect bite
• Acne scars burns 
• Scars from chickenpox
• Ear piercing
• Hair removal
• Small scratches or bumps
• Sites of surgical incision
• Areas of vaccination 
• Tightly braided hair
• Tattoo 

In very rare cases, keloids can be formed on the skin without any obvious reason, even if the skin is not injured. It is also found that certain type of people are identified to get keloids;

• A genetically inherited history of keloids where people who have a first-degree blood connection like father, mother, sister, or brother. This trait is mostly found in African or Asian natives.
• The peak time for the keloids to develop is between the age of 10 and 30. Many people begin to experience keloids in their early 20s while older people rarely see keloid formation. 
• Women who are pregnant have higher chances of increasing their odds of forming keloids. 
• Those who suffer from hypertension or thyroid condition 

Treatment options 

There are various treatment options that often stand as a solution to the question, ‘how to get rid of keloids’. Although there is a slight probability of the keloids returning even after any of the treatments, they are still worth a try for reducing discomfort at least for a while. However, your doctor may recommend a combination of below treatments to reduce the chances of keloids returning back; 

• Steroid injection (triamcinolone)

Triamcinolone is nothing but a corticosteroid injection that helps in reducing skin problems. Steroid injections are widely used to primarily treat keloids or can even be used after a surgical procedure. Steroids are said to work on keloids by breaking the bonds between the collagen fibres and instantly reduces the scar tissue underneath the skin. These injections shrink the size of keloids and flattens them completely alongside a least recurrence rate. 

• Radiotherapy

Since keloids are also a form of non-malignant tumours, a specially designed therapy called radiotherapy may be carried out for removing them. A short term, low-dose radiotherapy is an effective way to remove keloids because they are sensitive to the emission of radiation. Radiotherapy usually works by damaging the scar tissue and destroying the material that is responsible for the tissue growth.