What should you know about dark keloid?

Keloids are firm, overgrown scars that extend beyond the original injury. They may follow acne, piercing, surgery, injections, or a minor cut. Colour can range from pink or red to brown or darker than surrounding skin, and the surface may feel smooth, tight, itchy, tender, or sensitive. A dark colour does not by itself show whether the scar is active.

A raised mark that stays within the original wound may be a different type of scar. Because skin lumps have several possible causes, a new, rapidly changing, bleeding, ulcerated, or unusually painful growth should be examined rather than assumed to be a keloid.

Avoid picking, piercing, or repeatedly rubbing the scar, and protect it from friction. Do not attempt to cut it off at home. A dermatologist may discuss steroid injections into the skin, cryotherapy, laser approaches, or surgery depending on its size, location, symptoms, and previous treatment.

Surgery alone can be followed by another raised scar, so a clinician may combine removal with a plan to reduce recurrence. Options such as fractional or pulsed dye laser treatment have different goals, including texture, redness, or symptoms; they are not interchangeable and may not suit every skin tone or scar.

Arrange a dermatology review if the scar is enlarging beyond the original injury, becomes increasingly itchy or painful, restricts movement, or catches on clothing. Seek prompt care for warmth, spreading redness, pus, fever, sudden bleeding, ulceration, or a rapidly changing lump. New growths near an old scar should be assessed before treatment.

Ask whether the growth is consistent with a keloid, what treatment goal is realistic, how your skin tone affects pigment risk, and how recurrence would be reduced. Mention its trigger, growth pattern, symptoms, previous injections or procedures, and whether it affects movement or sleep.