Review of Keloid Patients with Clinical Experience

Despite numerous basic studies on wound healing, keloids remain difficult to treat because of a lack of effective preventive or treatment methods. They have ugly external appearances and hinder daily life activities, as they are occasionally accompanied by unbearable itchiness or pain. In particular, if they occur in exposed areas of the face or upper and lower limbs, they will induce cosmetic issues that can impart physical and mental anguish to patients, hindering social activities [1]. While hypertrophic scars tend to be limited to damaged areas and gradually disappear after 1-2 years, keloids differ, as they continue to spread and cause damage [2]. Since it is not easy to distinguish these two diseases, as they only display differences in biochemical and pathological characteristics, hypertrophic scars and keloids are regarded as the same disease process with differences only in the extent of damage [2,3]. Current treatment methods include chemical treatments, such as local injections of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and the use of silicone gel, physical methods including compression therapy and radiation therapy, and surgical procedures. These treatment methods are used alone or in combination [4-6], and are limited in their application if the keloid-affected area is broad. In particular, injections of adrenocorticotrophic hormone for the treatment of broad areas cause severe pain at the time of injection and cannot be used for prolonged periods of time, as several injections in a short period of time can cause side effects [1]. These methods are limited in the treatment of disease due to the high rate of recurrence observed under long-term follow up [4]. Currently, as people emphasize their quality of life, keloids have become the subject of assertive treatments. We gathered data from 13 years of clinical analysis of keloids. This study analyzed various indices of patients with keloids, with the aim to compare the causYoung Hoo Joh, Seung Jun Shin, Myong Chul Park, Dong Ha Park