1 (833) 453-5643Is a keloid making you feel self-conscious or ashamed? At The Keloid Plastic Surgery Center, removing keloids is what we do. Board-certified Reconstructive and Plastic surgeons Dr. Roberto J. Mendez and Dr. Gabriel Salloum are world-renowned experts in keloid and hypertrophic scars who combined have over 40 years of experience treating keloids big and small. Together with their skilled team, they are one of the few practices in the country offering advanced surgical and non-surgical keloid removal options with proven low recurrence rates.
Why Does
Why Does Keloid Scarring Occur?
When the deep, thick layer of the skin (dermis) becomes wounded, skin cells react by forming new collagen fibers to repair the damage and close the gaps created by the injury. In turn, these new fibers form scar tissue, resulting in a noticeable scar. A keloid is a type of scar that is formed when the skin produces too much scarring. It usually occurs at the site of a previous skin injury.
Keloids are types of scars that can develop after any surgery, and traumatic injuries – including tattoos and body piercings, aesthetic procedures, and so on. Sometimes keloids can show up months or even years after the skin is wounded. On rare occasions, it is also possible for keloids to form on uninjured skin. Some people seem to be more prone to keloidal scar formation than others, especially those with darker skin (African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians), patients younger than 30, and people with a personal or family history of keloids.
How does a keloid look?
Keloids can have the following characteristics:
- Slow-growing, typically over the course of three months or longer. At times, keloids can continue growing for years
- Begin as raised, bright pink or purple scars that become darker in color with time. Unlike a regular scar, which tends to look pale and flat, once keloids stop growing, they typically end up looking darker than the person’s skin
- Larger in size than the original wound
- Shiny and hairless
- Hard and rubbery to the touch
- Some keloid scars are painless, but others can be itchy, tender, or cause a burning sensation
causes
Main causes of keloids
Keloid scars are caused by skin injuries such as the following:
- Surgical incisions
- Cosmetic procedures
- Burns
- Acne scars
- Cuts and scratches
- Ear piercings
- Chickenpox scars
- Tattoos Vaccinations
BEFORE & AFTER GALLERY
Natural & Unparalleled Results
Surgeries performed by renowned plastic surgeon Roberto J. Mendez M.D. and double board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gabriel Salloum in Miami Beach, FL
Contact
Schedule A Consultation Today
At the state-of-the-art facility, The Keloid Plastic Surgery Center, our team is dedicated to providing our patients with the expert medical care they need to properly eliminate their keloids and improve the appearance of scars. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. They provide you with outstanding results from your keloid removal surgery and let you know about the additional skin treatment options we offer to help prevent a recurrence.
Surgery
Keloid Removal with Surgery
Keloids aren’t harmful to your physical health, but they can cause quite a lot of emotional distress depending on their size and location on all skin types. At The Keloid Plastic Surgery Center, we offer several options for eliminating and improving the appearance of keloid scars. This includes surgical excision, which involves carefully cutting out the overgrown scar tissue.
Keloid removal surgery is typically recommended when the keloid has grown far beyond the borders of the initial wound. Removal of keloids with surgery is relatively simple and can be performed using a local anesthetic for a small keloid, and general anesthesia for a large one. We perform surgeries for keloid treatment in our office’s fully accredited operating room, at Mt. Sinai Hospital, or in outpatient surgery centers.
Keloid Surgical Removal Procedure
A plastic surgeon will do a surgical excision to remove the unsightly scars. Afterward, any extra skin that has been pulled back is cut off so that the wound may close up with a flat scar without tension.
One problem with this modality is its high recurrence rate (chance of it coming back). The recurrence varies from about 50% to 95%, depending on the study that you read. With surgical procedures, some keloid-forming cells may remain in the area, which can lead to keloid recurrence. So, to reduce the chance of keloid growth and avoid scar revision surgery, we encourage patients to undergo additional post-surgical treatments. These treatment options can effectively target and eliminate keloid-forming cells in the treated area after a primary procedure. The combination of skin treatments for a complete resolution can include:
- Superficial radiation therapy (SRT) – performed 24 to 48 hours after keloid removal surgery to lower the chances of a new keloid forming
- Compression therapy
- Corticosteroid injections
- Cryotherapy
- Silicone gel pads
Candidates
Good Candidates for Keloid Removal Surgery
One in ten people will develop keloids, with men and women experiencing them at equal rates after a traumatic injury.
If you have an unsightly keloid scar or a hypertrophic scar that causes discomfort or other issues, you may be part of the candidates for keloid scar reduction surgery at our office in Miami. During your initial evaluation, we will check your medical history and assess the extent of your keloid scar. Then, we will determine if there are any other factors that could affect your decision regarding treatment. We may recommend non-surgical treatments first, but if these fail, we will offer surgical options.
If you’re an ideal candidate for keloid scar treatments, you need to be realistic about your chances of success. To get a better idea of your chances of success, take a look at our keloid scar photo gallery.
After surgery
What to Expect After Keloid Removal Surgery
Immediately after keloid removal surgery, your doctor will carefully suture the area and cover it with sterile bandages to keep the site clean and protected for healthy skin.
Dr. Mendez and Dr. Salloum use absorbable Stitches most of the time so that there is no need to remove them. Please follow your care team’s instructions to minimize complications. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the office at 1 (833) 453-5643.
Results will be noticeable immediately after surgery, but it may take some time for the area to heal completely. Dr. Mendez and Dr. Salloum of The Keloid Plastic Surgery Center take great care to prevent additional keloids from forming at the surgery site, including performing other postoperative procedures, such as radiation therapy and steroid injections. In addition, they will give you tips for preventing keloid recurrence and achieving permanent keloid removal.
RECOVERY
Recovery from a Keloid Removal Surgery
The keloid removal recovery takes several weeks. During this period, you may experience some swelling and bruising. Your doctor will give you tips to follow during the keloid surgery recovery and prescribe pain medication and antibiotics to help speed healing as well as a topical treatment if necessary.
After the wound heals, you’ll need to wear compression garments to prevent scarring. These garments keep the area moist and reduce friction between the skin and bandages. It is necessary to wear the garment until the stitches dissolve.
Once the stitches dissolve, you’ll need to avoid direct sunlight and use sunscreen daily. This helps prevent sunburn and keeps the area dry. After two months, you can remove the compression garments and resume normal activities.
RISKS
Risks of Keloid Removal Surgery
Keloid Scar Removal Surgery is the only effective treatment for keloids. However, there are risk factors associated with this procedure. The most common risk is scarring. Other risks include infection, bleeding, nerve damage, and anesthesia complications. To avoid these possible adverse events you need a keloid expert to help you solve all your doubts about the keloid removal surgery.
If you decide to go through with the surgery for permanent keloid removal, ask your doctor about any possible side effects and risks. Be sure to discuss these issues with him/her beforehand.
TESTIMONIALS
What our Patients say
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- Alvin and Teena B.
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- Melissa Howard
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- Jamie Hernandez
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about Keloid Removal Surgery
The cost of your keloid removal surgery in Miami will be determined by several factors, such as the size of the keloid and the techniques used. During your initial consultation at The Keloid Plastic Surgery Center, our team can let you know what the expected cost of your keloid removal surgery and treatment plan will be and let you know about the payment options available to you.
If the reason for your keloid removal is considered medically necessary, part of it may be covered by insurance. Please contact your health insurance provider directly or call us at 1 (833) 453-5643 if you have questions about the payment options available to you.
Keloid removal surgery alone has a high recurrence rate, especially among individuals prone to developing keloids. To minimize this risk, it is always advisable to pair excision surgery with other non-surgical therapies as recommended by your provider.
Keloid removal surgery is very safe when performed by an experienced and qualified surgeon. Like all surgical procedures, there might be some risks involved, such as pain, bleeding, infection, scarring, or new keloid formation.
Keloid removal surgery, especially of complex keloids or keloids of the face, ears, and neck areas, should ideally be performed by an experienced dermatologist or a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, like the doctors at The Keloid Plastic Surgery Center. In inexperienced hands, keloid removal can result in the keloid growing back, sometimes even larger than before.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons are the only surgery specialists with formal training in residency that will take care of the large and most complex keloids and ugly scars from head to toe.
Keloids can recur even after successful removal. This happens because surgical excision of a keloid creates a new wound, which may stimulate collagen synthesis that could trigger a new keloid formation. Up to 95% of keloids may grow back after being surgically removed, but when surgery is paired with other approaches, such as superficial radiation therapy, the recurrence rate drops significantly to 10% or lower.
If you live near Miami Beach, our keloid scar removal office is conveniently located at 4300 Alton Rd #720, Miami Beach, FL 33140.
Why Choose Plastic Surgeon Dr. Mendez?
- Board certified plastic surgeon for more than 20 years
- Certified by American Board of Plastic Surgery
- Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
- Graduate of Saint Louis University and Ponce School of Medicine
Why Choose Plastic Surgeon Dr. Salloum?
- Double-board certified plastic surgeon by The American Board of Surgery and The American Board of Plastic Surgery
- Training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN
- Residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Plastic Surgery Program at the University of Texas at Houston
Last modified by Dr. Gabriel Salloum
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