Keloid treatment poses some problems for doctors and surgeons. What works without complications in one patient can cause a larger keloid or serious skin hyperpigmentation in others. To further complicate matters, keloids can develop months or even years after the original scar forms, causing some patients to miss out on preventive therapies. Once a keloid forms, there are several treatment options that may be effective.
Prevention
Step 1
Allow your wound to heal until it has closed, then apply silicone bandages, also called silicone sheets, to prevent keloids from forming. Apply a clean sheet over the wound every 12 to 24 hours, according to "American Family Physician" and continue wearing them daily for up to three months.
Step 2
Ask your doctor to inject corticosteroids directly into your wound to soften and flatten any potentially emerging keloids. Schedule one injection per month for two to three months, then have your doctor evaluate the size and texture of keloids in the area. Your doctor may want you to receive injections monthly for up to six months.
Step 3
Apply a 5 percent imiquimod cream to your wound site every other night for eight weeks. Use imiquimod in places where it's difficult to apply silicone compression bandages, such as earlobes.
Removal
Step 1
Remove your existing keloids with surgery. Understand that surgical treatment will only temporarily remove keloids and could cause larger keloids to emerge along the incisions. Follow up surgical removal with the prevention methods mentioned in Section 1.
Step 2
Treat your keloids with cryotherapy, a procedure that freezes off your keloids. Follow up your cryotherapy treatment with corticosteroid injections. Only consider cryotherapy if you have small keloids, such as those caused by acne.
Step 3
Undergo pulsed dye laser treatment to treat keloids. This procedure is expensive and requires a referral to a specialist. Some studies have shown this treatment effective, while others haven't been able to verify those results, so choose this treatment as a last option unless otherwise advised by your doctor.
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