What should you know about keloid growth?

During normal healing, collagen strengthens damaged skin. With a keloid, scar tissue continues to build and rises above the surrounding surface, sometimes spreading past the original injury. It can follow surgery, a piercing, acne, or an injection. The scar may be shiny, firm, itchy, painful, or darker than nearby skin. A hypertrophic scar can also be raised, but it stays within the original wound area, so a clinical examination is useful.

Avoid new injury, scratching, friction, and unplanned home procedures. Keep the area protected from sun and note changes in size, texture, colour, and symptoms. A dermatologist can discuss scar care and treatments such as intralesional steroid injection, laser, cryotherapy, or surgery. The plan should account for the keloid’s location, thickness, symptoms, and whether it has returned after earlier treatment.

Arrange prompt review for rapid change, warmth, spreading redness, pus, fever, bleeding, an open sore, or severe pain. These findings require assessment for infection or another cause. Seek routine care if the scar is enlarging, limiting movement, catching on clothing, or causing ongoing itch or tenderness.

Ask what features support a keloid diagnosis, which treatment matches its stage, and how progress will be monitored. Ask how future skin injuries can be managed if you have formed keloids before.