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Keloids are
smooth, shiny, flesh-colored, raised growths of fibrous tissue that
form over areas of injury or surgical wounds.
Keloids are an extreme overgrowth of scar tissue over healed wounds. They may form in the months after an injury. They may be raised as much as ¼ inch above the surface of the skin. Keloids may form in any scar, even those resulting from severe acne. They are much more common in blacks than in whites and typically develop on the chest, shoulders, back, and, sometimes, face and earlobes. Keloids do not hurt, but they may itch or be sensitive to touch.
Keloids respond poorly to therapy, but monthly injections of corticosteroids may flatten them somewhat. A doctor may try surgical or laser removal followed by corticosteroid injections, but new keloids often form in the scar resulting from the treatment. Some doctors have applied silicone patches to keloids and have had some success in flattening them.
Last full review/revision February 2003
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