What should you know about mouth keloid?

Keloids may follow acne, piercing, cuts, burns, or minor procedures. They can be firm, smooth, itchy, tender, darker or redder than nearby skin, and may continue enlarging after the wound has closed. A scar that stays within the original wound is more consistent with a different scar type. Location, skin tension, previous scarring, and the timing of growth help a clinician decide whether the diagnosis fits.

Do not pick, pierce, squeeze, or repeatedly traumatise the lump. Use sun protection once the skin is healed, because ultraviolet exposure can deepen colour. A dermatologist may discuss steroid injections into the scar, laser treatments, freezing, or surgery. Keloids can recur, so surgery is often considered alongside a plan to reduce regrowth rather than as an isolated step.

Arrange an assessment if a mouth lump is growing, repeatedly bleeding, ulcerated, painful, infected-looking, or interfering with eating, speaking, or shaving. Seek urgent care for rapidly increasing facial swelling, fever with spreading redness, breathing difficulty, or swelling of the lips or tongue. A changing lump should not be self-treated as a keloid without examination.

Did this growth begin after a specific injury or acne spot? Does it extend beyond the original wound? Which treatment suits its size and location? How will recurrence be monitored?