Keloid or not? Small incision below belly button from tubal ligation 8 months ago.

Dear ms.vlbs87,it is hard to tell for sure without an examination, but based on your photo, it doesn't look like a keloid. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Dear Ms. Vibs,
Thank you for your question. It is difficult for me to orient my self to your photo.Thus based on these limitations I can only give you generalized (which I believe will be helpful)answers and a in person exam would be optimal.
Ultimate appearance of the incision site (scar) is dependent on many factors.
My responses:
1)Incision position, location and form is based on the patients desire and Surgeons experience. 
2)All things aside, final scar results are probably 80% genetic. Which means if a careful skin closure was performed.... how you heal is based on your own body and how your biological parents heal.
3)we can modulate healing and hopefully using different pre and post operative modalities:
PRE OPERATIVE
A) no smoking
B) healthy/balanced diet
C) vitamins 
INTRAOPERATIVE/TECHNIQUE
A) gentle handling of the tissue
B) meticulous, multilayered closure (deeper layers) reducing tissue tension using absorbable sutures, alignment of skin using absorbable sutures and when needed 
removal sutures.
C)correct size and tension of non absorbable sutures in the skin or when indicated use of skin glue (Dermabond is one brand). 
D)tension free (this is relative.... In abdominoplasty it is the most difficult because we are wanting to get a flat and tight abdominal countour)
POST OPERATIVE
A)Embrace- a device we put on Abdominoplasty (tummy tucks) incisions 
several days after surgery. Please go to their web site.
B)silicone gel sheeting (new gel is one of several brands)
C)pressure
D)massage
E) lasers
F) steroid injections for over healing (hypertrophic scars/keloids)
G) rarely superficial radiation (recalcitrant keloids)
Please make a appt. with experienced Plastic Surgeon who is Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and ideally a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (denoting by membership as having met additional criteria and a focus on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery).
My best wishes,I wish you my best and success,
R. A. Hardesty, MD, FACS
Diplomate and Certified by the Am. Bd. of Plastic SurgeryReal Self Top 100 Awardee 2017
wwwimagineplasticsurgery.com
4646 Brockton Ave
Riverside, Ca 92506
(951) 686-7600

Thank you for your question. Based on the picture it is not keloid. It is hypertrophic scar. Steroid injection will help. Please talk to your Physician for evaluation.

It currently does not look like a keloid. Keloids tend to be very large and grow outside the area of surgery. This appears to be a wide or hypertrophic scar. It is difficult to predict how people will scar however very small or early hypertrophic can be conservatively treated with pressure therapy, steroid injections, and or silicone therapy. Larger scars may be better treated with surgical excision together with steroid injections For the best treatment options, it is important to visit an expert for an in-person examination. Hope this helps!
Johnson C. Lee, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
@drjohnsonlee

No, that is not a keloid scar, which is a relatively uncommon occurrence. What you have is a hypertrophic scar, fairly common and an indication that you may have similar scarring from surgery. It usually gets better over a long time unlike a keloid, and can often be improved with steroid injections. When we have a patient that is a known hypertrophic scar former, we inject the incisions with a very weak solution of a steroid called kenalog. It is weak enough that it does not interfere with the healing but usually reduces or prevents the bad scar from forming. We use Kenalog 10 and reduce it down to Kenalog 2.5.