Thank you for your question. Keloids occur when there is trauma to the skin from something as simple as ear piercing or an incision in the skin and the scar maturation process does not occur normally. There is an overgrowth of collagen that goes unchecked. Once a keloid is excised there is a high probability that it will return. There are several additional modalities that have shown some benefit such as steroid injection, radiation therapy, and compression. The compression therapy consists of a special earring that has two halves that clip on the lobe and exert pressure on both sides. While these different methods can decrease the risk of re-developing a keloid they cannot eliminate it completely. Mark Schoemann MD, La Jolla CA