A buildup of scar tissue at the site of a healed skin injury leads to keloids. Keloids appear like a lump on the ear and commonly occur after ear piercing. They also occur from ear infection or trauma or spontaneously in those who are prone to the condition. The exact cause of keloid is not known, and treating the condition can be difficult. Even when treated, a keloid can form again. A combination of therapies reduces chance for recurrence.
Steroid Injections
Initially, a doctor tries steroid injections to reduce keloid. A person gets an injection to the site once a month to soften and shrink the tissue. A keloid should flatten in about six months after shots. After the injections, the doctor might remove the keloid surgically if it has not become less noticeable in that time.
Surgical Removal
Surgery is often advised for patients with keloid on the ears. In this case, a doctor removes the keloid under anesthesia. A doctor injects anesthetic into the ear lobe to numb the ear for a painless procedure. He cuts off the keloid and sutures the skin. An antibiotic ointment is then advised to heal the wound. The chance of a keloid recurring after removal is 50 percent, according to the information website Keloid Removal. Operating on a keloid usually stimulates more scar tissue to form. Surgery in combination with steroid injections after removal reduce the chance that a keloid will come back.
Pressure Dressings
A silicone gel sheet or an adhesive silicone-dressing sheet also help treat keloid. These work by applying direct pressure on the wound, helping to reduce the size of the keloid. They cover the wound site for the majority of the day, according to experts at American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.
Radiation with Excision
Severe keloid can be treated with surgical removal and X-ray treatment to the site after the excision. This treatment works for 85 percent of severe keloids. The longer a person has a keloid, the more difficult it is to treat. A doctor should be consulted early to keep scar tissue from progressing.
