The development of a keloid scar may impact your long-term ability to heal after surgery or skin trauma. Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian at Kare Plastic Surgery provides expertise in the management of keloid and hypertrophic scars in Southern California.
Our office is known for exceptional and individualized care that distinguishes us from other plastic surgery centers. We are experts in the management of keloid scars and we will offer you a personalized treatment plan based on your specific keloid concern, aesthetic goals, and medical health.
The treatment of keloid scars begins with a careful examination to determine the amount of information contained within your scar tissue. You will work closely with our team of physicians in order to optimize your long-term recovery and minimize recurrence of your keloids. Our center is individualized for one on one care for our patients.
Keloid removal can be acheived using a combination of surgical and nonsurgical methods. Keloid scars are caused by abnormal deposition of collagen within scar tissue leading to a thick scar that grows beyond the original footprint of injury. Keloid scars are found commonly on the ears after ear piercing, on the pubic area after a C-section or myomectomy, or after cosmetic plastic surgery. Acne keloids differ from traumatic scars and result in pinpoint keloids the develop on the chest and back.
Some areas of the body are more prone to keloids and this may be attributed to the sebum content within the skin. Our surgical Director has treated thousands of individual keloids and uses conservative and surgical methods to minimize scars and to prevent recurrence.
The best candidates for keloid removal are those that undergo a process of conservative and surgical management. We use a combination of topical creams, scar modulation, intralesional injections, lasers, and surgery.
You should begin your journey to treat your keloids by first scheduling a consultation with our double board-certified plastic surgeon. During the consultation, Dr. Karamanoukian will examine your keloid and gauge the degree of inflammation contained within the skin. Inflammatory factors exacerbate keloids and make them grow faster and thicker. Some of your keloid scars may benefit from surgery whereas others may not be candidate for a surgical excision.
Intralesional injections involves the administration of medicines that can control inflammation and reduce the bulk of keloids. These are generally uncomfortable and can dramatically improve your keloid scars.
Keloid surgery is usually performed under local anesthetic in an outpatient setting. We begin with a local anesthetic followed by excision of the abnormal scar tissue in order to remove the keloid and it's entirety. Sutures are then placed to reconstruct the cosmetic contour of the skin followed by intralesional injections to reduce inflammation in wound healing. We will optimize the healing of the wound with appropriate wound care.
We are also developing laser assistant approaches to keloids they can minimize injections and optimize the color, contour, and size of your keloid. We use the VBeam laser as well as fractional lasers to modulate the size and color of the keloid.
What are keloids? A keloid is often formed by skin trauma resulting from surgery or dermal injury. it contains an abundance of collagen scar tissue with inflammatory mediators.
Can I treat a keloid without surgery? Keloids can be treated in many different ways and our center specializes in the conservative and surgical management of keloid scars. If you do not want surgery, we can offer a Laser approach to keloid removal if indicated.