Whoever chooses “no” will be the first to disbelieve! Apart from a newborn baby, who has no scars on their bodies these days?
But Brother Dian can also understand that most of the time, small scars on the skin, except that they may slightly affect the appearance, are completely painless and itchy, and have no sense of existence.
But there is a “scar” that may not only “erode” the surrounding normal skin tissue, but may even develop into a tumor. It is: keloids.
If you have raised scars on your body, or are planning to have your ears pierced, have surgery, etc., be sure to read this.
(Don’t worry, there are no scary scar pictures in the full text, you can watch it with confidence)
It is normal for the scar to be slightly “raised” than the surrounding intact skin. This is caused by overgrowth of the skin during wound healing.
These protrusions fall into two categories: the relatively safe “protrusions” – hypertrophic scars, and the more dangerous “protrusions” – keloids.
If you have scars like “keloids” on your body, be careful and watch.
Not all keloids are dangerous, and in most cases, keloids are classified as “benign fibrotic skin diseases.”
Benign, meaning no harm to your body, can go untreated if there are no symptoms or a rash that grows in a short period of time [3].
However, if you have the following two conditions, you should consider going to the hospital’s dermatology or plastic surgery department for examination and treatment.
1. Keloid scars affect aesthetics.
Keloids tend to grow on the chest, ears, etc., and are likely to affect the appearance. If you are more concerned, you can consider treatment.
Some women may also develop obvious keloid scars on the incision part after caesarean section. If they feel bad, they can completely consider treatment.
2. The keloid tends to grow and become larger, or itching is unbearable and uncomfortable.
Some studies have found that keloids have the characteristics of tumor growth[4], and there are also some views that “keloids” should be treated as a benign tumor, and it is best to take a thorough treatment in time. treat.
If you notice that your keloid continues to grow, it is very itchy and uncomfortable, or you are simply concerned that the keloid will continue to grow or become cancerous, it is best to seek medical attention immediately. If the doctor judges that there is a risk of cancer, it will be treated in time.
The treatment of keloids goes beyond “surgical removal”.
If it is simply excised, there is still a high risk of keloid growth from the incision left after excision.
In many cases, surgery + radiotherapy is required, that is, after surgical resection, electron beam irradiation is performed to prevent recurrence.
You don’t need to see the word “radiotherapy” to be frightened. The dose and depth of radiotherapy for keloids are relatively small, and only work on local scars.
In addition to surgery, there are non-surgical treatments such as injections, drugs, and lasers [5,6]. The doctor will take the most suitable treatment according to the size, number and expected effect of the keloid.
At the end of the day, the best way to avoid scars is to prevent them!
What we can do is: Focus on innate factors and eliminate acquired factors.
1. Focus on congenital factors, inform your doctor in advance, and evaluate scarring and benefits.
Dark-skinned people, such as yellow people, are more likely to develop keloids than Caucasians[1];
People who have keloids or keloids in their relatives are more likely to grow;
People with a scar constitution are more likely to develop keloids after injury or surgery [2].
If you have any of the above 3 conditions, be cautious and inform your doctor before any actions that may cause skin breakage.
Such as surgery, double eyelid cutting, ear piercing, mole cutting, tattooing, especially when the goal of “beauty” is to fully assess the risk of “possible scarring” and The benefit of the surgical effect should be made after in-depth communication with the doctor.
How can I tell if I have a scarring constitution? (The following 3 items meet 2, and the high probability belongs to scar constitution)[2]
1. Different parts or the same part, multiple injuries or surgeries always leave scars, and often protrude from the skin surface and feel hard;
2. Some inadvertent minor injuries will leave scars;
3. There are many relatives in the family who have experienced the situation described in the above two items.
2. Take care of the injury and healing process through 4 details[7].
1. In case of trauma, the wound should be cleaned and sutured as soon as possible to control infection;
2. Small wounds must be cleaned frequently and bandaged with tape;
3. Keloid-prone areas such as the chest and arms must be cared for and treated when trauma occurs;
4. Injuries from skin conditions such as acne, folliculitis, and shingles should be treated topically with an ointment/cream containing an anti-infective agent until the oozing stops.
Keloid is not scary, as long as you have a full understanding of it and seek professional medical help in time, you don’t need to panic at all.
I wish you reading this, you can stay away from the trouble of scars~
Reviewer: Chi Huiyan
Chief Physician, Department of Dermatology, Xiyuan Hospital, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
References
[1]UD-DIN S, BAYAT A. New insights on keloids, hypertrophic scars, and striae [J]. Dermatologic clinics, 2014, 32(2): 193-209.< /p>
[2] Cai Jinglong. Understanding of scar constitution and keloid constitution [J]. Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2021, 32(11): 641-3+50.
[3] Expert Group of Standing Committee of Scar Medicine Branch of China Association of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. Recommended Guidelines for Clinical Treatment of Keloid in China [J]. Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018, 29(05): 245 -56.
[4]JIA CY, CHEN L X. Tumor characteristics of keloid [J]. Zhonghua shao shang za zhi = Zhonghua shaoshang zazhi = Chinese journal of burns, 2021, 37(4): 301-5.
[5]OGAWA R. The Most Current Algorithms for the Treatment and Prevention of Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids: A 2020 Update of the Algorithms Published 10 Years Ago [J]. Plast Reconstr Surg, 2022 , 149(1): 79E-94E.
[6] Ma Qianyu, Wu Xiaoli. The latest progress in the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids [J]. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Reconstructive Surgery, 2020, 16(01): 1-5+26 .
[7]OGAWA R, DOHI T, TOSA M, et al. The Latest Strategy for Keloid and Hypertrophic Scar Prevention an Treatment: The Nippon Medical School (NMS) Protocol [J]. J Nippon Med Sch, 2021, 88(1): 2-9.
Editors: Emgrand, Zhang Xiaoyi, Wang Yan
Typesetting: Han Ningning | Proofreading: Wu Yihe
Operation: Li Yongmin | Coordinator: Wu Wei