When skin is injured, fibrous tissue called scar tissue forms over the wound to repair and protect the injury. This helps our skin to heal naturally when it is injured. In some cases, scar tissue grows excessively in response to the injury, resulting in keloids or hypertrophied scars. Keloids can be much larger than the original wound. They’re most commonly found on the chest, shoulders, earlobes, and cheeks. However, keloids can affect any part of the body. Although keloids aren’t harmful to your health, they may create cosmetic concerns.

Treatment for scars and keloids may be difficult and need long term management.

Keloids occur from the overgrowth of scar tissue. Symptoms occur at the area of previous skin injury.

The symptoms of a keloid can include:

1. Itchy patch of skin
2. localized area that is flesh-colored (pink, or red)
3. lumpy area of skin that’s usually raised
4. area that continues to grow larger with scar tissue over time

As keloid scars tend to be larger than the original wound itself, they may take weeks or months to develop fully.