A keloid scar is a raised scar left on the skin after a wound has healed. You cannot get rid of it, but treatment can help improve how it looks.
Depending on the type of injury, the depth of the wound, and the person's skin type, this process takes months. It may take a year or more for a scar to fully heal.
The overgrown scar tissue can get large and may affect movement. Raised (hypertrophic): You can feel a hypertrophic scar when you run your finger over it. These raised scars may get smaller over time, but they never completely flatten out.
Reddish or brownish acne marks left behind by acne lesions usually fade eventually, but it can take a year or longer. Mild or moderate scarring may also fade over time, but in general, unless acne scars are treated — especially severe scarring — they're permanent.
Scar Process
It will take six to 18 months for the scar to have its final appearance. Your scar should gradually soften and fade over these six to 18 months, but will look pink initially (photo B). Some scars never fade.
For best results, you should perform scar massage for at least 10 minutes, twice a day, for six months. You should only stop sooner than that if the scar starts showing signs of infection or you experience intolerable discomfort.
It may be very tempting to squeeze an ear keloid. However, you can't pop an ear keloid. Ear keloids are a type of scar tissue, so there isn't any pus to squeeze out, like a pimple. Trying to pop a keloid on your ear can damage your skin and introduce bacteria, which can cause an infection.
A keloid scar is when a scar keeps growing and becomes bigger than the original wound. It can happen if you have too much of a substance called collagen in your skin. It can happen after any sort of injury or damage to your skin such as a cut, burn, surgery, acne or a body piercing.
Many health insurance plans treat keloid scar treatment as cosmetic, typically not covered. However, coverage may be possible if keloids cause pain or limit movement, deemed a medical necessity. Before arranging keloid scar removal, consult your insurance provider to determine policy specifics.
Why does my scar feel lumpy? You may feel bumps and lumps under the skin. This is normal and is due to the dissolvable sutures under the surface. They will go away with time.
The cost for removal of a keloid scar varies widely based on the size and location of the scar and the complexity of the procedure. In general, the price will typically range from $2,500 – $4,500.
Generally, they contain relatively acellular centers and thick, abundant collagen bundles that form nodules in the deep dermal portion of the lesion. Keloids present a therapeutic challenge that must be addressed, as these lesions can cause significant pain, pruritus (itching), and physical disfigurement.
Scar massage is a way of softening and flattening scars. It can stop scar tissue build up and help make scars less noticeable. Your scar or scars will continue to grow and change for about twelve to eighteen months, so the earlier and more regularly you massage your scar, the less the chance of long-term problems.
Increased temperature is a common physiological effect that helps to break down scar tissue. Increased temperature involves both superficial and deep tissues increasing in temperature. Increasing temperature of tissues within the body helps to loosen scar tissue.
Numerous products are available that claim to decrease postoperative scar formation and improve wound healing. These products attempt to create an ideal environment for wound healing by targeting the three phases of wound healing: inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling.
Massaging with vitamin E oils could help reduce collagen build-up, which can help flatten out raised scars. Try massaging for four to five minutes, three or four times a day and see if it works for you.
Hypertrophic scars
These scars may also look red, and are usually thick and raised. Hypertrophic scars usually start to develop within weeks after the injury to the skin. Hypertrophic scars may improve naturally. But this process may take up to a year or more.
Hypertrophic scars occur when there is a lot of tension around a healing wound. These scars are thick and raised, and often red in color. They may remain like this for several years. Hypertrophic scars are the result of an imbalance in collagen at the site of the wound.
A keloid scar is a thick raised scar. It can occur wherever you have a skin injury but usually forms on earlobes, shoulders, cheeks or the chest. If you're prone to developing keloids, you might get them in more than one place.
Scar tissue typically begins to form the first day after surgery, but it may not produce symptoms for months, years — or ever.
And if you do (one in five people with acne will also have scarring), the good news is that not all acne scars are permanent! Treatments are available. Some treatments nearly remove the scars while others help the skin heal itself with its own collagen.