What is Keloid Skin Condition? Treatment, Tattoos Lesions & Cancer

This post extensively explores keloid skin. Learn what is keloid skin, the risks involved in keloid skin and tattoos, the various forms of keloid skin treatment as well as general facts about keloid skin condition.

What Is Keloid Skin?

To start us off, we will seek to answer the question: What is keloid skin? Keloid skin is one that is prone to developing excessive scar tissue. People with keloid skin are advised to keep off any form of piercings to prevent the skin from being agitated. When people with keloid skin get tattoos and piercings, they risk getting keloid scars.

People with keloid skin run a risk of keloid recurrence. In case a keloid is removed surgically, there is a high probability for it to grow once more. As such, apart from keeping off piercings and tattooing, it is important to undertake comprehensive treatment when one is getting them removed. This may include surgical removal accompanied by steroid injections or silicone sheets. This will ensure that recurrence does not happen.

Keloid Skin and Tattoos Risks

Keloid skin and tattoos are a bad combination. A person who has earlier experienced keloid scars should stay away from getting tattoos as doing so may lead to a tattoo keloid. This is generally a raised scar at the skin site where a tattoo was inked. It is caused by an overproduction of scar tissue during the healing process. This then forms a larger than normal scar that develops beyond the tattoos boundaries.

The tattooing process involves placement of a design which could be a picture or a symbol on the body’s visible part; the skin. This should only be carried out by a well trained and experienced person. The equipment used and area in which it is carried out should be sterilized. Depending on complexity of the design and the size of the tattoo of choice, the process may involve multiple punctures being made into the skin.

After the tattooing process has been done, the healing of the wound takes place. For a scar to form and the tattoo to hold, there is both a build-up and break down in the skin. For the scar that forms to be inconspicuous, there ought to be a fine balance between the two. In case after the tattoo process there is an imbalance among the two, there is formation of excessive fibrous tissue. These spread around and above the injury area leading to a disfiguring keloid skin tattoo around the area.

Keloid skin and tattoos are hard to get rid of. One will need to consult a plastic surgeon for recommendation on the best treatment approach depending on location and seriousness of the tattoo keloid.

For people whose skin is prone to getting tattoos, the best way to not get keloids is by not getting one at all. This will help keep tattoo keloids at bay. In case one experiences unusual scaring after getting a tattoo, they should seek medical attention immediately.

Keloid Skin Condition

A keloid skin condition can be as a result of a number of things. These include a number of skin injuries among which are:

• Acne scars: when one has acne, there is a tendency to keep manipulating the bumps through touch. This could be a conscious or unconscious act. A keloid scar may form as a result.
• Burns: When one suffers a burn, the scar that forms as the wound heals may extend beyond the boundaries of the wound as well as appear raised from the surface of the skin.
• Vaccination wounds: The sites of vaccination can also develop into scars as the wound that forms is healing.
• Piercing: Whether ear or nose piercings, if unprofessionally done or wrongly accessorized, a keloid skin condition may result. This is mostly common on the cartilage area although it can as well form on the ear lobe.
• Surgical cuts: When people undergo surgery for which ever reason, a keloid skin condition could develop as the scar is healing. Women who have undergone caesarian section could get this for example.
  

  

The National Center for Biotechnology Information asserts that this condition is most common among people aged between 10 and 30 years. It is also most common among dark skin people who include Hispanics, African Americans and Asians. Keloid skin condition is also genetic.

Keloid Skin Treatment

Normally, keloids are not a source of any health risk. However, one can seek keloid skin treatment in case it fails to stop growing, additional symptoms are experienced or where the keloids are a source of concern about how one looks. Among the various options for keloid treatments include:

• Corticosteroid injections: This reduces inflammation
• Essential oils which help keep the tissue soft
• Placing on the keloid some silicone sheets
• Freezing the keloids so as to kill skin tissues.
• Shrinking keloids through radiation
• Surgical excision.
  

  

At times, when excision is done, there may be reformation of the keloid. To cub this, it is necessary to combine surgical excision with corticosteroid injection for it to heal more successfully. Compression therapy and use of silicone dressing for the after-surgery maintenance may be necessary.

Keloid Skin Lesion

A keloid skin lesion may develop as a result of trauma exerted on the skin. It could also be as a result of infections on wounds as they heal. Treatment for this is available. Consulting with a doctor will help make the right choice.

Keloid Skin Cancer

A keloid skin that keeps growing may be a source for cancer. In such situations a biopsy may be recommended by your doctor. Any keloid that develops changes such as oozing pus, bleeding or uncontrolled growth should be checked by a dermatologist. The reason for this is that it could be developing into keloid skin cancer. The earlier that one catches this, the better the chances are of managing and curing it before it starts spreading to other body cells.

Keloid Skin Cream

Apart from the various medical procedures and home natural remedies available for getting rid of keloid skin, there also are keloid skin creams. These are applied topically and are mostly made up of various ingredients, silicone being the major one. They work on the keloid in a non-invasive way to effectively get rid of the keloid skin.