What are Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids?
Keloids and hypertrophic scars are wound healing disorders. They pose no health risk, but they can sometimes be painful and often unsightly.
Although both are skin lesions that result from an abnormal healing process, there are important differences that help make an accurate diagnosis.
To the Keloids are a benign skin disease characterized by:
- Raised, shiny, firm, deformed lesion that invades adjacent skin;
- They appear months or years after the injury;
- They evolve over time and do not regress spontaneously;
- Reddish or dark brown (depending on the patient's skin color);
- More common in people with dark skin;
- They can arise spontaneously;
- They tend to appear on the ears, lower face and chest.
To the Hypertrophic Scars are a skin abnormality that:
- It appears shortly after skin injury (a few weeks);
- They differ from keloids because do not exceed the limits of the initial injury;
- The scar is tense, raised, red or pink;
- It can regress naturally over time.
Medicine has made progress, both in preventing the appearance of scars and in the therapeutic options available to treat the tissue and improve the appearance of skin tags that have already appeared.
But before we move on to treatments, understand how these skin tags develop.
Causes
There are several reasons why hypertrophic or keloid scars appear.
This is a trauma, stimulus, disease or phenomenon that causes direct injury, interferes with or delays the normal healing process:
- Burn;
- Folliculitis;
- Immune deficiency;
- Aging;
- Insect bites;
- Acne pimples;
- Diabetes;
- Vascular skin problems;
- Suture quality after surgical intervention;
- Inflammatory hypersensitivity;
- Presence of foreign bodies in the wound.
- Keloids can also appear spontaneously.
In either case, people with darker skin and younger people tend to be more prone to excessive scarring.
Treatment for Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars
Laser
Laser treatment can correct color and texture defects in scars and improve skin quality at the site of the skin lesion. However, it is not recommended for inflamed scars.
Peeling
A deep peel – using local anesthesia – has the ability to eliminate dead skin and promote cellular regeneration of skin tissue and the reduction of scars.
Surgery
Excision is indicated for wide and/or extensive scars. Its purpose is to remove excess fibrous tissue in the scar area. Surgery can be combined with corticosteroid injections for better results.
Corticosteroids
The injection of corticosteroids into hypertrophic or keloid scars seeks to reduce collagen formation, which causes a reduction in the size and thickness of the scar.
Medical Specialist
in Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids
Dr. Ana Isabel Moreira
- Aesthetic Dermatologist
- Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
- Specialist in Dermatology and Venereology
- Reviewer of scientific articles at the invitation of international journals
- Member of the Portuguese Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SPME)
Medical Specialist
in Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids
Dr. Carolina Andresen
- Graduate in Medicine and Surgery with specific training in Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery
- Attended 42 national and international courses and meetings in the field of Plastic Surgery
- Awarded 6 scientific merit awards
Medical Specialist
in Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids
Dr. Larissa Lanzaro
- Graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).
- Completed internships at leading national and international institutions.
- He has 11 publications in prestigious international journals.
- Presented 43 papers at national and international scientific conferences.
English (UK)