I suffer with keloid scars, i knew this before i started self harming so i guess this is my own fault, but here i go anyway..
had keloids on both forearms and had corticosteroid injections which improved them alot. they're almost flat, and don't cause me any pain.
I have a few problems, though. to the side of my biggest scar, it's almost as though my body has started to 'scar' itself. i have a sort of C shape around the left hand side of the scar which started off very small and has continued to grow. it's now fairly big, maybe a inch long, also i can't feel anything where the new scarring is, i can pinch it etc but i feel nothing.
When i went for a check up, i asked about it at the hospital and they simply said they 'weren't sure' what it was, which is very useful for me. /sarcasm.
I also have alot of keloid scars on my upper arms and shoulders which I also had steroid injections to treat, but it's done nothing. The injections themselves are incredibly painful, and i've already had two tries at it and neither have been successful in getting them flatter, i was wondering if there's anything else people could suggest? i've had the silicon film patches and they didn't work either. The scars recently have been feeling as though.. well to put it bluntly, like they're being re-cut open, or having something very very sharp stick straight into them, it's sometimes getting to the point where i can hardly move my arms at the shoulder because it hurts too much.
I was just wonderin if anyone's had similar things with the new scarring, and if so what it was? as the hospital seem to be clueless to help me about it, it's also appeared on the other side of the scar.. and doesn't look the nicest.
and also any suggestions as to what to do for the keloid scars, as the injections and the patches have done nothing.
You can actually have surgery on them but that foften means more scaring so it really is a last resort. maybe speak to your gp and they should be able to refer you to either a plastic surgeon or a dermatoligst who should be able to help you.
Thanks bitter angel ,and <3 ali.
Yeah my dad was talking about having a skin graft or something similar to cover them up, but obviously the chances of me getting keloid scars from that is pretty high, so i don't know if it'd be worth it.
I'll look into the oil and i might book an appointment to see my gp. hopefully i'll be able to get some decent answers. thanks :)
I'd advice speaking to your GP. I have had a few romoved through surgery, but I had to have radiotherapy in the end as they kept growing back... but now they have basically gone (though I'm basically never allowed to have sun in contact with my skin again...)
steroid injections can be good too... but as you say they have been tried... but maybe they need more time?
also, they are far more common on the arms, chest and on joints... so best advice would be to try not to have injuries in those places... easier said than done I know... I generally don't even wear necklaces now as I got my skin caught in the chain of one and one started to form!!! so seriously the chest is a sensitive place, apparently the face is particularly prone to them too, in fact the haed as a whole I got some HUGE ones when I was little as I stupidly got my ears peirced lol
though I do have a couple on my thigh...
but ye... speaking to a doctor would be the best idea, I got referred to a specialist and got it all explained to me in detail (all about collegen over production, etc) and undertanding what's going on really does make it easier to deal with
if you're gonna try the vitamin e thing, i've heard buying the capsules/liquid ones is cheaper because you can just pop one and rub it in, it's more concentrated that way.
is lasering an option? mand x
Mand, South Wales, Full-time working, single mother to 2 scarily independent girls.
I AM A PROUD PLUMERIA SISTER
When I got all of my piercings, I got huge keliods at the piercing site. What helps me get them to go away is mixing some warm water with sea salt in a glass and then inverting the glass over the piercing. though it would be more difficult with your cuts, it still works.
If you're looking for a good scar remover (since keloids are essentially scar tissue) try bio oil http://www.bio-oil.com/en/uses.html
I had the injections done on my shoulders around 8 months ago now, and no change, i had it done about 6 months before that.. neither times it's helped. :/
I'm going to book an appointment with my gp and see what they suggest, i've had the injections and the patches so we'll see.
i'll also get some oil and try the glass idea. :)
thanks all, hopefully one of these will work as the ones on my shoulders are really bothering me. I have loads on my chest, but there's no way i'm having injections there!
let me know if it works at all :)
the glass thing usually takes a while to show any major results (about a week or so) and i forgot to add that i did it anywhere from 1-3 times per day. it's just however many times are convenient for you
I had the injections done on my shoulders around 8 months ago now, and no change, i had it done about 6 months before that.. neither times it's helped. :/
ah ok... by now then you'd think there would be some sign of improvment if there was goign to be any...
though it is mildly age dependent too... they woudn't do much for mine until I hit 20 due to "hormones" before hand messing with the treatments... though they did operate on a few as they were impacting on me quite heavily... also, sometimes they insist on you not SIing for a number of months before they'll do the more "extreme" treatments, sort of to prove that you are trying and you're not going to be back a few months later with loads more keloids...
massaging them can be helpful too... I can't remember why exactly, something to do with blood flow and collogen breakdown, so if you use vit E then massage it in to the area well. personally vit E did little for me, but I have heard of people getting fantastic results from it
yeah, i know what you mean, the first time I went and had injections I got told I couldn't SI inbetween as it'd show I didn't want to 'get better' as such. I did, and they still did the second batch.. but ah well.
I'm only 17 so I may have a few years before they'll do anything extreme. i'm 18 in a few months so maybe they'll do a little more then? i'll have to see.
I'm going to call and book a doctors appointment on thursday, so hopefully i'll have some answers then, thanks ever so much for people's advise. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadow-light
ah ok... by now then you'd think there would be some sign of improvment if there was goign to be any...
though it is mildly age dependent too... they woudn't do much for mine until I hit 20 due to "hormones" before hand messing with the treatments... though they did operate on a few as they were impacting on me quite heavily... also, sometimes they insist on you not SIing for a number of months before they'll do the more "extreme" treatments, sort of to prove that you are trying and you're not going to be back a few months later with loads more keloids...
massaging them can be helpful too... I can't remember why exactly, something to do with blood flow and collogen breakdown, so if you use vit E then massage it in to the area well. personally vit E did little for me, but I have heard of people getting fantastic results from it
