Scars and Keloids
How can scars be improved?
Scars that are raised or thickened (keloids) can be softened or flattened with intra-lesional cortisone injections. The skin is numbed first, with a topical anesthetic cream and then a tiny needle. The keloid shrinks gradually over several weeks. Several sessions are needed, about one month apart.
Other treatments include liquid nitrogen and silicon sheeting occlusion. The Nd:Yag laser can also be used to decrease the redness in a scar, and to shrink a keloid. Bleaching creams have been used to decrease brown discoloration in a scar with some success.
A new treatment that is now available is called mesotherapy. A “cocktail” of vitamins and skin nutrients is injected into the skin. Results have been excellent and the chance of complications is minimal.
Is the treatment painful?
There is some discomfort with treatment. We try to make the numbing as effective as possible.
How many treatments are necessary? Are they covered by medical insurance?
All of these methods generally require multiple treatments, each about a month apart. They are not covered by medical insurance.
