Keloids are firm, raised scars that grow beyond the original injury site due to an overproduction of collagen during healing.
🧠 What happens in the body?
- The skin’s healing process becomes overactive
- Too much collagen is produced
- This causes a thick, raised scar that spreads past the original wound
⚠️ Causes and Risk Factors
🩹 Common triggers:
- Acne
- Piercings
- Burns
- Surgery
- Cuts or skin injuries
👥 Higher risk in:
- People aged 20–30
- People of African, Asian, or Latin American descent
- Individuals with a family history of keloids
🔍 Symptoms
- Raised, shiny, rubbery scar
- Color may be:
- Pink
- Red
- Purple
- Brown
- Itching or tenderness
- Sometimes pain or discomfort
👉 Unlike normal scars, keloids grow beyond the original wound and do not fade over time.
🔄 Keloids vs Other Scars
- Keloids → grow beyond the wound
- Hypertrophic scars → stay within the wound boundary
💊 Treatment Options
⚠️ Keloids can be difficult to treat and may return.
Common treatments include:
- Corticosteroid injections
→ Reduce inflammation and shrink the scar - Silicone gel sheets or pads
→ Help flatten the scar - Surgical removal
→ Often combined with other treatments - Cryotherapy (freezing)
→ Destroys scar tissue using liquid nitrogen
⚠️ Prognosis
- Non-cancerous (benign)
- Not harmful to overall health
- Can:
- Affect appearance
- Impact confidence
- Limit movement if over joints
👉 High chance of recurrence after treatment
🛡️ Prevention
For people prone to keloids:
- Avoid unnecessary skin trauma
- Piercings
- Tattoos
- Elective surgery
- Treat wounds carefully and early
🧠 Mental Health & Emotional Impact
Keloids can affect:
- Self-esteem
- Body image
- Confidence (especially if visible)
Support and reassurance are important.
🚨 When to seek medical advice
- If a scar becomes raised, painful, or growing
- If it affects movement or daily life
- If you are considering treatment options
📘 Easy Read Summary
- Keloids are raised scars that grow too much
- Caused by too much healing (collagen)
- Can be itchy or painful
- Not dangerous, but may affect confidence
- Can come back after treatment
📝 Module 2 – Quick Learning Check
1. What causes keloids to form?
2. How are keloids different from normal scars?
3. Name one treatment for keloids.
No comments:
Post a Comment