How are keloid scars different in skin of colour?

A keloid is scar tissue that keeps growing after the skin has healed. It can follow acne, an injection, a piercing, a burn, or a surgical cut. The raised area may look pink, red-brown, brown, or darker than nearby skin; its colour can change over time. It may feel firm, itchy, tender, or tight. Skin colour does not make every raised scar a keloid, and a keloid can extend past the edges of the original injury.

Arrange an assessment if a scar is enlarging, itchy, painful, or spreading beyond the wound. Mention previous keloids and any family tendency to form them. Do not cut, scratch, pierce, or attempt home injections into the scar. A clinician may discuss silicone-based care, steroid treatment, injections, or other options; the choice depends on the scar's thickness, site, symptoms, and response. Protecting the area from sun can reduce contrast between the scar and surrounding skin while it settles.

Seek prompt medical advice if the area becomes hot, increasingly painful, rapidly swollen, or starts draining fluid, because these changes can signal infection rather than scar growth alone. Get urgent help for fever, feeling faint, or rapidly spreading redness. A scar that changes quickly, bleeds without being rubbed, or develops an open sore also needs an examination.

Ask whether the raised area is a keloid or another type of scar, which treatments are suitable for your skin tone, how colour changes will be monitored, and how recurrence can be reduced after treatment.