Keloids are not incurable; they are a condition that can be managed effectively with appropriate treatment. Many people receive a few injection treatments at a nearby dermatology clinic, only to experience recurrence and give up on treatment in the process. Hello, I am Dr. Kang Jin-moon of Yonsei Star Dermatology. Today, we will explore why injections alone are insufficient and the principles of combination therapy to reduce recurrence.
Keloids are scars with broken brakes
Whether it's a keloid or a regular scar, the skin begins to regenerate when injured. The difference lies in stopping. Regular scars stop regenerating at a certain point, but keloids do not. To use a car analogy, it's like the brakes are broken.
Collagen production continues without stopping, causing the scar to protrude above the skin and spread to the surrounding healthy skin. This tendency to expand beyond its boundaries is the most significant characteristic of keloids.
It starts with itching and leads to pain
When a keloid grows, the first sign is itching. After some progression, pain develops, and in severe cases, it can be so distressing that it's difficult to sleep at night. The most severe case I've seen involved a patient who had lived for many years unable to straighten their chest, sleeping curled up due to a keloid the size of an adult's palm.
Even if a keloid is not currently growing, it has a time-bomb-like nature. It can start to grow again at any moment, so treating it when it's small is the way to increase the success rate.
There are no suitable ways to stop it at home
Silicone sheets and ointments are widely used for general scars, and there are studies to support their use. However, when limited to keloids, in my personal clinical experience, they were not very helpful. As far as I know, there are no clear methods to stop its progression at home. Therefore, even if treatment is cumbersome, getting a steroid injection at a nearby dermatology clinic is better than leaving it untreated.
When choosing a clinic, look at experience, not claims
When choosing a clinic for scar treatment, the most important factor is expertise. Many places claim to specialize in scar treatment on their websites or the internet, but you need to carefully check if they actually have sufficient experience.
- Claiming to specialize in scar treatment can be different from actual experience.
- The act of giving an injection itself is possible anywhere, but delicate and precise injection requires experience.
- Carefully reviewing reviews from those who have actually received treatment can be helpful.
If you are hesitant about treatment due to pain, please remember that even with the same injection, the experience can vary depending on how precisely it is administered.
The reason for using injections and vascular lasers together
The most common and essential treatment combines intralesional steroid injections and vascular lasers. The laser complements the parts that were insufficient with injections alone. When these two tools are used together, there is more room to reduce recurrence and refine the results.
What is most important in scar treatment is to accurately understand the current state of scar treatment. This is the result of over 20 years of clinical experience. Scars are never easy to heal. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it also means that with sufficient treatment, you can approach the desired results.
Results may vary by individual, and accurate diagnosis and treatment are determined after consultation.
Written by Kang Jin-moon (Yonsei Star Dermatology) · Medical Staff Introduction · Last reviewed 2026-06-04