My keloids have grown back larger and they hurt. How effective is dry ice as a treatment? (Photo)

Question

I am African american and I have keloids on both of my jaw lines, one on my ear lobe and a series of keloids on my upper arms and back. I Have had steroid injections in the keloids on my jaw lines and the keloid in my ear lobe. They have grown back larger and they hurt, itch and burn. Can I use a home remedy such as tea tree oil on much older scars? how effective is dry ice in the treatment of keloids?

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Miss Macklin.  The treatment of your keloids is very straightforward when you find a practitioner experienced in the use of Kenalog or similar steroid injections.  Steroid injections have always been the treatment of choice for keloid scars rather than dry ice or fractional lasers.  Several (3-5) well places and well executed steroid injections will shrink the scars and flatten them.  If you still have darkening from the scars, we would then start treatment with a q-switched laser to fade the dark coloration.  The color should fade some with the proper steroid injections.  Good luck.Check the link below for an example of Orange County, CA before and after pictures for a keloid treated successfully with steroid injections.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Our office specializes in scar removal and keloid treatment in Los Angeles. Dry ice and cryotherapy may cause permanent hypo pigmentation, which is unsightly.  Our office utilizes a combination of IIT, pulsed dye laser, CO2, and topical application of Plato's Scar Serum. Raffy Karamanoukian MD FACS

My keloids have grown back larger and they hurt. How effective is dry ice as a treatment? (Photo)

Answers (2)