Do you know that scars or keloids can be treated with over 90% success? A scar is a way of telling your body is healing. But some scars can cause discomfort and low-self esteem. Diminished functions may occur in the mouth, eyes, and noses due to scar tissue.
What is a keloid?
When your skin is injured as a result of mechanical or chemical force, fibrous tissue referred to as a scar is formed on the surface. Ideally, this scar is meant to protect and repair the injured tissue. However, in some instances, there is a growth of extra tissue, a hard and smooth growth called keloids.
And unfortunately if not treated, keloids can be much bigger than the wound that caused them. The most commonly affected areas are the earlobes, chest, cheeks, and shoulders. But, they can affect any area of your body. While keloids do not necessarily cause harm to your body, they are of great cosmetic concern.
Causes of keloids
Injury to the skin is the main cause of keloids. Here are some of the common ones:
- Acne scars
- Chickenpox scars
- Burns
- Ear piercing
- Surgical incision sites
- Scratches
- Vaccination sites
How to treat big keloids down to small keloid
Many factors contribute to scar severity. Depth and size of the wound, color, and thickness of your skin, blood and nutrient supply as well as scar direction have a great impact on the severity of scars.
A surgical procedure used to reduce or improve scar appearance, correct disfigurement, and restore function caused by previous surgery or wound injury is called scar revision. Though complete removal of scar is not possible, the expert team at Lexington Plastic Surgeons has made success in making the scar less noticeable by improving its appearance.
The Procedure
The chosen procedure depends on the size of the scarring. While there are several options for the treatment of keloids, the most recommended procedure is Z-plasty. This is a surgical procedure that corrects your skin creases and lines. Z-plasty is effective and makes your scar less noticeable after treatment.
Post-Operative/ Recovery
- Within the first two weeks, there’ll be some discomfort and discoloration but not permanent
- The healing process will continue for some weeks
- One or two weeks after surgery, the dressing of the wound will be removed depending on your situation
- You will be advised to perform only minimal activity after surgery
- Make use of scar products (ScarShield, Keloid Care) to massage the areas affected. This is more important to people that are prone to keloid scars or with thickened scars.
