Keloid Scar?

I have a keloid scar on my chest. I don't know many people who have one. I have looked it up on the internet but theres not many good sites. Ok well anyways, my scar is raised above the skin. And it hurts all the time. Like if i accidently bumped it or whatever, sometimes it hurts out of the blue. It itches bad sometimes, but i cant itch it because it hurts to touch, so i itch around it and that ends up getting all red. It is so uncomfertable, i cant wear v necks at all, not even low cut shirts, or even most tank tops. Hard to sleep on my side because it kinda folds up in my skin and that hurts. But my dr told it its something I gotta live with. I got surgeory once and it just made it bigger. I don't know what to do about it?

Keloid Scar?
Here are a few options if you go to the dermatologist:





The treatment of choice for keloids is usually an injection of corticosteroid drugs such as cortisone directly into the lesion. These injections cause the keloid to become atrophic, or thinner, and are repeated every three to four weeks until the keloid has been resolved to the individual's satisfaction. Other therapies include laser treatment or radiation therapy, and topical treatments are undergoing study.





Surgery is often used in combination with corticosteroid injections. The injections are given for several weeks, and then the keloid is surgically removed. The injections are then continued for several weeks. Surgical removal of the keloid may also be used in conjunction with radiation therapy, which delivers small amounts of radiation to the affected area.





Newer approaches include silastic gel sheeting, which makes use of pressure to flatten the keloid. The gel is applied and kept securely in place with tape, cloth, or an ace bandage. The dressing is to be changed every seven to 10 days, for as long as 12 months.





Finally, researchers are now studying a type of tape that has been soaked with steroids, which are released slowly into the keloid, causing it to thin over time.
Reply:Your doctor is an idiot.
Reply:You can go to a good plastic surgeon and they should be able to treat it. To get it go down the surgeon can inject hydrocortisone in it (or other steroids/treatments.. see below). With successive treatments like this it will go down with time. They don't always recommend removal for the exact reason you stated above. It can come back bigger and worse than before. Talk to a plastic surgeon. Methods of treatment often can be steroid injection and in some cases acid is used to soften the tissue. Newer methods can use laser to treat it also.





I have a Keloid scar on my shoulder from a rollerblade accident I had about 10 years ago. It covers about a 1x1 inch square patch of my skin. After I first got it it was hard and didn't move well with my shoulder. It was also raised about a centimeter off of my skin. It also was tender at times depending on how I moved my shoulder. I also had problems with itching but the itch was like under the skin and not really something I could get out. So I feel your pain there.





I went to a plastic surgeon for a bit and he gave me injections of hydrocortisone in it. It got softer and its height reduced. I didn't keep up with it (only went twice) but I know if I had it would have gone almost all the way down faster. Today it has gotten softer and lowered on its own over time. Now it is barely raised a millimeter off of my skin.





This is a good site for treatment options (go down to the treatment section):


http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic205.h...





Here are some more sites about treatment methods:


http://www.burnsurvivorsttw.org/hyper.ht...


http://www.abateit.com/keloids.htm


http://menshealth.about.com/cs/blackheal...
Reply:There are some good treatments listed here...





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keloid
Reply:It can be shrunk by a doctor who injects a sort of steroid into it. It's a little concerning that the site is still painful, you should maybe get a 2nd opinion, your doctor doesn't seem to be very helpful.