Best Treatment for Keloids That Don't Respond to Steroids

asked 2 years ago by cheetomaster16 in Humble, Texas
Latest answer by Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Question viewed 1,770 times
Tags: neck, keloid scar

I have multiple keloids on my neck, and I have had about 4 treatments of steroids already, but not too much difference. I got the big red keloids from a car wreck i was in Jan 18 2009 I do not believe the scars were sutured up.

What else can I do to treat the keloids?

7 answers to Best Treatment for Keloids That Don't Respond to Steroids

Keloid treatments other than steroids

As Dr. Trimas has pointed out, pulsed dye laser treatments are an option to change the healing response in keloid scars. When the scars are fresh, there is a very high vascular (blood flow) component. Using pulsed dye lasers when keloids are relatively new can help to diminish the blood flow to the scar, which can stop or even reverse it's growth. While it is not one of the most common treatments, it is a good option to consider.

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Best treatment for keloids that don't respond to steroids

I agree with very low dose radiation provided by your local hospital's radiation therapy department. Make an appointment to discuss with the Radiation doctor and understand the risk/benefit ratio. From MIAMI

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Keloid treatment on the neck

If you are not responding very well to kenalog injections, you might request that the physician increase the strength. I would also add vascular laser treatments to the mix as I have found it to be very effective in treating fresh keloids especially ones with red color in them. Other conservative treatments include use of silicone gel sheeting that you can buy over the counter. I hope this information helps.

Scott Trimas, MD
Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

Keloids that do not respond to corticosteroids

Perhaps you did not have a sufficiently high concentration of corticosteroids to achieve the desired effect. If Kenalog (cortisone) injections really are not working for you, other options include 5-fluorouracil injections and cryotherapy (risky though if you have darker skin). I would suggest in the interest of safety, if your practitioner decides to try a treatment other than corticosteroid injections, a test spot be performed in a small area of scar before the treatment... more

Bryan K. Chen, MD
San Diego Dermatologist

Keloid treatment options

The mainstays of treatment are: compression occlusive dressings and kenalog injections other than that a variety of other interventions include: cryosurgery, radiation laser interferon (IFN): alpha, betal gamma chemotherapy (cytotoxic agents): 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), doxorubicin, bleomycin, verapamil, retinoids imiquimod 5% cream tamoxifen tacrolimus, botulinum toxin, allium cepa antiangiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors (eg,... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Keloid scar treatment with excision and radiation

The best modality in your case may be low dose radiation. This is best combined with excision of the keloid scar via surgery. Generally, the first radiation is performed on the day of scar excision and everyday for about 5 days. This is sometimes combined with steroid injections at a later stage. I have had fair results with this approach on my patients.

Siamak Agha, MD, PhD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Keloid VS Scar Hypertrophy

The way wounds heal depend on many factors, including- mechanism of injury (knife, scalpel, burn, caustic fluid, blunt trauma etc)- location on the body (the extent of skin movement and tension will determine how things heal)- how was the injury treated (you say your wounds were not stitched...)- your ethnic background (the darker the skin, the more vigorous the healing response)- genetics (if your parents have a history of REAL keloids the odds are you will as well) etc Most people refer to ALL more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

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