The word Keloid is derived from the Greek chele , which means crab claw, and the suffix oide , shaped like. It is an exaggerated growth of a connective tissue or collagen that forms nodules or irregular tumor masses, it is originated after a wound, burn or laceration of the skin (scar keloid) or spontaneously (spontaneous keloid).
The scar that forms continues to grow unnecessarily, causing mild itching, burning, and pain. Fortunately, the keloid is not malignant and tends to be more common in the ears, upper extremities, lower abdomen and sternum.
The keloid is of variable size although the limits of the original wound are always exceeded. There is no direct relationship between the size of the wound and the size of the resulting keloid. The beginning of the development of the keloid is very versatile, sometimes more than a year elapses between the trauma that originates it and its formation.
The phenotype of its fibroblasts is abnormal, resulting in a disease of genetic origin. People with these genetic abnormalities, when they suffer from any aggression that causes inflammation of the skin, has a predisposition to the development of keloids.
The factors that can influence the formation of a keloid are age, specifically in children and young people, where keloids can increase in size during puberty, perhaps due to the influence of growth factors and hormones. When these factors do not affect, the keloid grows progressively until reaching a limit where it stabilizes and persists with this size.
The other factors are the coloration of the skin of the person, they are more frequent in the black race; the location (upper body); and the type of injury (burn).
The final result and treatment depend only on the early identification of the formation of a keloid and immediate treatment. Keloids should be treated by a dermatologist, because after their removal they tend to recur. Injecting a steroid into the wound seems to give the best results.
