Keloid Laser Before and After: What to Expect

A keloid is raised scar tissue that can extend beyond the original injury. Before treatment, it may be firm, itchy, tender, darker or redder than nearby skin, and uneven in outline. Laser choice depends on the scar’s colour, thickness, location, and whether it is still growing.

After a session, temporary redness, warmth, swelling, crusting, or sensitivity can occur. Some lasers target visible blood vessels and redness; others create controlled microscopic changes in the scar surface. Improvement is usually assessed over time rather than immediately, and a keloid can remain raised even when its colour improves.

Attend a skin assessment before comparing photographs or planning treatment. Tell the clinician about previous scars, active irritation, medicines, and any history of a keloid returning after treatment. Keep the area clean, avoid picking flakes or crusts, and follow the wound-care instructions provided after the session.

Protect healing skin from sun exposure because inflammation can leave longer-lasting colour change. Do not restart piercing, rubbing, or strong topical products on the area until the clinician says the skin barrier has recovered. Laser may be combined with steroid injections or another approach when a keloid is thick or recurrent. Read about [Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment](/treatments/laser-and-energy/pulsed-dye-laser-treatment/) and [Steroid Injection Into The Skin](/treatments/injectables/intralesional-steroid-injection/).

Contact the treating clinic if pain, swelling, redness, warmth, discharge, or skin breakdown is increasing instead of settling, or if you develop fever. Seek prompt assessment for rapidly enlarging tissue, bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure, or a new lump that has not been examined. A photograph can help the clinician compare change, but it cannot confirm the diagnosis by itself.

Ask which laser is being considered and whether the goal is to reduce redness, flatten the scar, soften its texture, or ease symptoms. Ask how many visits may be needed, what the expected healing pattern is for your skin tone, and how recurrence will be monitored. Ask whether another treatment should accompany laser.