The two most serious kinds of scarring are keloids and hypertrophic scars.

Keloids are raised, reddish and painful. They can be very large and disfiguring. A scar is made of gristle-like fibers  to hold the wound closed. With keloids, fibres continue to multiply even after the wound is filled in. Keloids form large mounds of scar tissue.

A hypertrophic scar is more common. They don’t get a big as keloids, often remaining no larger than the original wound. They are more likely to fade over time. They occur in all racial groups. Bad acne scarring or a pronounced scar from skin piercing can be hypertrophic, but not keloid.

Operating on a keloid usually stimulates more scar tissue to form, so people with keloids may have been told that there is nothing that can be done to get rid of them. A Keloid scar treatment would then involve topical silicone cream to fade and reduce the size and appearance of the scar.

Both keloids and hypertrophic scars respond to topical scar treatments.

What are the signs and symptoms of a keloid?

Keloids are raised and look shiny and dome-shaped. The color makes them stand out on normal skin; color ranges from pink to red. Some keloids become quite large and unsightly. Aside from causing potential cosmetic problems, these dangerously fertile scars tend to itch, are tender and even painful to the touch. The larger they are, the more debilitating they can be.

When Should I Get a Doctor Involved?

If you have been under medical care for a surgical or serious traumatic wound, your doctor should be monitoring the healing process anyway. He will identify keloidal growth.  You may just have noticed an angry-looking scar.

But if you are among the one in ten people for whom even the smallest skin piercing or burn develops keloid scar tissue, you will spot the differences yourself. If the size is manageable, a home keloid scar treatment can be effective in inhibiting, fading, and shrinking the bothersome keloid without requiring a doctor consultation.