1+ Year Post-Op
I have keloids since age 26 -- thank God they are rare on the face. For those who don't get them, they form on chest, arms, belly in response to any trauma, any injury, including picking at acne. Some expand well past the original injury site. Dermatologists can give a needle to reduce the swelling. Whatever you do, do not attack a keloid. A keloid squeezed and picked will make swelling go down, but only initially. They come right back same as you started or worse.
I have no keloids below waist level. Maybe I'm not prone to them there. This is news to me that maybe I can get them in the groin area.
Many almost disappear on their own over years if left alone, swelling and redness all gone with just a white mark in my case, almost invisible. If you have white skin, then totally invisible.
I wish they would disappear over time, but in my case they just seem to get bigger: c I have white skin but I guess I was out of luck.
They still might go away on their own over a few years. Some of my keloids are still there after 10 years, but many have almost disappeared, so I wish I would have left them all alone and have just gone to a dermatologist for help. The itchiness and tenderness has gone away for all of them. It's futile physically attacking them. I have, and they come back as good as new, and I just made the resulting scar worse after the keloid is gone.
Thank you very much, hearing that gives me some hope, I wish the scars were slightly softer (they are like ship's rope) and lighter. One of my worst fears of having them surgical removal is exactly that they may grow back even worse than before.
Can I ask what Surgeon you went to?
Private Surgeon in Argentina
Hi, I think laser can solve that easily!
I don't think that this option is available in the public health system of my country, but thanks for the information, as soon as I can I will find out.
Since keloids can cause discomfort, pain, and itching, I’ve heard that you can get treatments covered for them. There are steroid shots that are really effective, and laser treatment is also an option.
Tried steroid injections but it didn't work. The other option they offered me was to remove them surgically but I must find out if there are other (and less invasive) options available for free in my country. (Apart from the fact that everything that is public/free takes much longer/harder to be done)
Yeah I’d try to see if there’s laser treatment offered! Also maybe cryotherapy? I’ve heard that works as well.
Thank you, I did't know about that option.
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No, one stage surgery.
Might be something useful here
https://www.reddit.com/r/TransSurgeriesWiki/wiki/index#wiki_scars
I tried corticoid injection and silicone sheets but sadly without luck.
From what I recall it can take a series of injections, and Kenalog is used
The surgeon tried to inject me with this type of corticosteroid once (along with lidocaine) but when he saw that it did not give any results he told me that there was no point in continuing to try, and that even I would run the risk of tissue atrophy, so he recommended removing them surgically (although he did not assure me that they will not come out again) But since it is very expensive for me to do it privately with him, I must find out the different possibilities that public hospitals in my country have, even getting an appointment is often difficult but I will have to be persistent and patient. Thanks 😊
Some of the papers I linked above are very informative on this.
Personally I’d not have them revised without learning as much as I could first. They can be very difficult to deal with.
You're right, I'll learn as much as possible so I don't risk ending up with an even bigger keloid than before. Thank you very much for the information and advice. 💖
I also used a topical corticosteroid preventively, but the keloids were still formed.
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