Can a scar turn into a keloid years later?

A keloid scar may form within months to years of the inciting injury.

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How long after a scar can a keloid form?

Appears slowly

After you injure skin, it's likely to take 3 to 12 months or longer to see the first signs of a keloid. The first sign is usually thickening skin. About 20% of keloid scars appear more than a year after the injury.

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Can keloids develop after years?

It can take 3 months up to a year before you see the first signs of a keloid. Then it takes weeks or months for it to grow. Sometimes, they continue to grow slowly for years.

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Why did my scar turn into a keloid?

Keloids and hypertrophic scars are caused by cutaneous injury and irritation, including trauma, insect bite, burn, surgery, vaccination, skin piercing, acne, folliculitis, chicken pox, and herpes zoster infection.

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Can a keloid grow after 10 years?

Clinical Appearance of Keloids

They generally continue to grow over years and possibly decades. Keloids tend to occur in skin sites of higher melanocyte density.

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Doctor explains KELOID SCARS including causes, treatment and prevention

35 related questions found

Can keloids become cancerous?

In a cohort study in Taiwan, patients with keloids were at an increased risk of developing various forms of cancer -- pancreatic cancer and skin cancer in particular -- when compared to the general population, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.51 (95% CI 1.39-1.63), according to Kathy Chien-Hui Hong, MD, PhD, of ...

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What does a permanent keloid look like?

Keloid scars are usually raised, hard, smooth and shiny. They can be skin colour, pink, red, purple, brown, or darker than the skin around them. You can get keloid scars on any part of the body, but they're most common on the chest, shoulders, chin, neck, lower legs and ears.

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How do you stop a keloid from forming?

If the skin in the test area starts to thicken, you want to start wearing a pressure earring or pressure garment immediately. Pressure can prevent the thickening skin from turning into a keloid. To be effective, you need to start with the pressure as soon as you notice thickening skin.

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What is the difference between a keloid and a keloid scar?

Hypertrophic scars are contained within the site of injury and may regress over time, while keloids spread beyond the borders of the initial injury and do not regress. On histological examination, hypertrophic scars tend to have collagen in a wavy, regular pattern, whereas keloids have no distinct pattern of collagen.

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What to do if a keloid is forming?

Treatment
  1. Wound care. For newer keloids, the first treatment option might be compression dressings made from stretchy fabric or other materials. ...
  2. Corticosteroid cream. ...
  3. Injected medicine. ...
  4. Freezing the scar. ...
  5. Laser treatment. ...
  6. Radiation therapy. ...
  7. Surgical removal.

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Can a keloid form after 3 years?

A keloid scar may form within months to years of the inciting injury.

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Can a keloid suddenly appear?

Spontaneous keloids are rare, so there are only a few known cases. Findings from studies suggest that these keloids may occur when: The skin injury is so minor that the person doesn't notice it. A disease causes intense inflammation inside the body.

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What is a hard lump under a scar years later?

Keloids are elevated hypertrophic scars that extend beyond the borders of the original wound, do not regress spontaneously, and usually recur after excision. They are more common in persons with darker skin pigmentation and appear as firm to hard, flesh-colored to red nodules with a smooth surface.

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Are keloids permanent?

Do keloids go away? Unlike a hypertrophic scar, a keloid doesn't fade with time. To reduce the appearance of a keloid, you need to treat it. When it comes to treatment, no one treatment works best for all keloids.

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Do keloid scars ever flatten?

Conclusion: Keloids never completely disappear to leave skin with normal texture, however they can resolve (flatten and soften) so they no longer burden patients in approximately one third of cases. Scars resolving spontaneously do so early in the disease. Those that don't may resolve after many years of treatment.

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How do I know if it's a keloid or a bump?

Piercing bumps tend to appear more quickly and do not grow in size, while keloids take time to form and can continue to grow over time.

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How do you know if a scar is keloid or hypertrophic?

With hypertrophic scars, the extra connective tissue that forms within the original wound stays within that area. With keloid scars, the extra connective tissue that forms extends beyond the original wound area.

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Should I remove keloid scar?

Keloid surgery: Your dermatologist can surgically cut out the keloid. While this may seem like a permanent solution, it's important to know that nearly 100% of keloids return after this treatment. To reduce the risk of a keloid returning after surgical removal, most patients have another treatment after surgery.

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Can I get rid of a keloid on my own?

There's no foolproof way to get rid of keloids. A keloid forms as a result of an exaggerated healing response in some people, especially those with more pigment in their skin. Prescription medicines and in-office procedures may be able to improve the appearance of keloids.

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What does Vaseline do to keloids?

Keloids can be relatively uncomfortable and restrict movement, especially if occurring at joints. Try Vaseline's skin-care products enriched with ingredients like aloe and nourishing argan oil, to help soften and soothe the skin at the scar. Read up on how you can heal your scars with the help of Vaseline.

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Does tea tree oil help with keloids?

Keloids mainly develop due to the overgrowth of scar tissues and are not dangerous. There is no scientific evidence to show that tea tree oil can improve existing keloids.

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What happens if keloid is left untreated?

If left untreated by a dermatologist, a keloid scar can get larger and more visible, so it's important to get treatment earlier, rather than later. And thanks to its texture, it's not easily covered up with concealer, making it even more crucial to treat it as soon as possible.

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What's inside a keloid?

Keloid, also known as keloid disorder and keloidal scar, is the formation of a type of scar which, depending on its maturity, is composed mainly of either type III (early) or type I (late) collagen.

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Can I pop my keloid with a needle?

Ear keloids are a type of scar tissue, so there isn't any pus to squeeze out, like a pimple. Trying to pop a keloid on your ear can damage your skin and introduce bacteria, which can cause an infection.

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