What should you know about keloid healing process?

Normal wound closure does not always mean scar activity has finished. With a keloid, collagen-rich tissue can continue building and extend beyond the original cut, piercing, burn, or acne spot. The scar may feel tight, smooth, firm, itchy, or sore, and its colour may differ from nearby skin. A raised scar that remains inside the original wound boundary may be a hypertrophic scar instead, so a clinician may need to examine it.

Keep a healing wound clean and follow the dressing instructions given after any procedure. Do not peel crusts or massage a fresh area unless your clinician recommends it. Protect the scar from rubbing and avoid unnecessary piercing or cosmetic trauma nearby. If a keloid is established, treatment may involve injections, laser approaches, freezing, or removal surgery; the choice depends on whether the goal is softer texture, less itch, reduced redness, or smaller size. Planned reviews help detect renewed thickening early.

Contact the treating clinic if a healing site opens, pain is worsening rather than settling, or the scar begins extending beyond the wound. Get prompt care for spreading redness, heat, marked swelling, drainage, or fever, which are not routine signs of a quiet scar. A rapidly changing lump also deserves examination rather than home treatment.

Ask how to distinguish expected healing from renewed keloid activity, when scar care should begin, which warning signs matter for your wound, and how long follow-up should continue.