Homeopathy 

KELOID

SCAR TUMOUR

Moles (natural or birthmarks – also known as god’s mark or luck mark) and scar (artificial or accidental mark – also known as devil's mark) play a major role in forensic medicine in identifying a person, since they cannot be erased easily. They can be considered as landmark in our body which stay throughout our life. A keloid is a scar tumour which is supposed to be a larger scar. So, one needs to know about scar before learning about keloid. 

Scar - To know about scar in our body, simply look for the vaccination spots on the arm. It is a scar. More reaction ends in a larger scar and less reaction ends in a smaller scar. Players and soldiers treat scar as their medals or stepping stones for their victory. In short, scar is unusual and abnormal skin surface revealing the history of accident or disease or surgery.

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Normally, when skin gets injured superficially, natural healing can make skin revert back to normalcy without any trace of injury. But, when the injury is deeper, to support/tie that part, Nature puts more fibre strands i.e. collagen fibres, cross through the spot, making it a scar. Scar tissue is usually tougher than normal skin tissue, but lacks blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, etc. You will not have sweat in that area, you will not have hair in that area and you will not have normal good healing in that area when the spot gets injured. 

Keloid - A keloid is a scar tumour where our body/skin keeps on supporting the injured spot with more and more collagen fibres to make the spot more and more strengthened. It can be considered as an overreaction to the injury or disease immediately after or later. Keloid usually progresses slowly in size and width. It never disappears or reverts back to normal on its own. 

Incidence – Keloids are most commonly seen in blacks. They also seem to run in families. They can occur in any age at any occasion irrespective of sex. Mostly they follow or occur in injured spots. Sometimes, they can occur without any injury or skin lesions.

Common Sites - Even though they can appear at any spot, the common victims are chest, shoulders and back. They also commonly occur in surgery suture spots (chest in open heart surgery), in injection spots (arm, ear lobe, etc) and in skin grafted places. 

Causes – Even though the exact cause or gene transmission cannot be predicted and proved clearly, the keloid most commonly starts with injury or skin lesions (diseases). Delay in healing of the wound mostly seems to be the precursor of the scar formation. This tendency to scar formation often leads to keloid later. It is most commonly seen in burns (where skin is deeply affected) and in open heart surgery cases. It is important to note tattooing spots are also more vulnerable to develop keloid growth.

Symptoms – Mostly, smooth, purple coloured raised swelling will be the one and only symptom of keloid, i.e., mainly cosmetic disfigurement. But depending upon its size, place and extension/expansion, it can cause further symptoms, i.e. pain, burning sensation, itching, ulcer, restriction of movement, etc. But most often patients consult doctors with concern more for cosmetic disfigurement only. Even though it need not be feared for becoming cancerous tumours, the cosmetic disfigurement often makes one depressed. 

Diagnosis – Even though appearance, i.e. raised and spreading scar, with history of injury in the specified spot itself betrays the possibility of keloid, confirmation can be sought by biopsy and histo-pathological reports. 

Complications – Mostly there won’t be any complications. But depending upon the places (bends and joints), treatments (steroidal injections or external irritant applications) and other sufferings (diabetes, neurological disorders, etc.), complication may arise. On getting a flare up, it can cause more pain and itching and can finally end in contractures and restriction of movement in the affected spots. 

Prevention – Always prevention is better than cure. This has been proven in the case of keloid too. So, early care must be taken for all wound healing. People who have the tendency to develop keloid should be careful to avoid skin lesions and surgery. If necessary, surgery should be performed by expert hands with the precaution to avoid suture over bends and joints and to take intensive care in wound healing. Supplements like vitamins (especially vitamin E) and minerals can be taken to heal the wound at the earliest. It is also wise not to rub or scratch or apply any irritants on the spot to prevent it from growing further or forming ulcerations. 

Treatment – Most often, keloid is left untreated by modern school of medicine. If the sufferer insists more due to cosmetic disfigurement or due to hindrance of normal function of life due to big swelling, then doctors will provide steroidal injections on the spot to arrest/regress the growth. If it is not responding, then they go for surgical removal /excision with or without plastic surgery. Both ways, recurrences are more common and no one can guarantee that it will not recur. Also, sometimes, after surgery, keloid growth may recur with flare up i.e., more in size than previously. Also, there are various other treatment like cryosurgery, radiation therapy, laser therapy, etc. Each one has its own complications. Most times, their adverse effect will be more than their benefits.

Homeopathic Approach – Most people with keloid will suffer silently, tolerating all the pain without knowing what to do and how to proceed with it. Considering keloid as a pure surgical disorder (even though it can’t solve it permanently) nobody thinks of Homeopathy for treatment. But, Homeopathy can treat keloid well. In Homeopathy, removal of keloid with surgery is considered as the removal of effects of the disease and not the removal of the cause or disease itself, leading to recurrence of keloid in the same spot or in other spots. Homeopathy is a natural way to help the body by supporting the body’s own process of healing and expelling the disease force by itself. The Homeopathy medicine not only relieves the pain of the keloid, but also treats the condition to regress.

Best results can be seen if one starts treatment early. Initially, Homeopathic medicines arrest the growth or expansion of keloid. In course of time, Homeopathy medicines can make keloid shrink without any surgical procedure. Even though keloid cannot be made to disappear as a whole, it can be reduced up to 80 – 90 per cent its size, depending upon the age of the keloid and the patient. The remaining 10 – 20 per cent will remain silently as a trace or residuals or history of the sufferings.

The Homeopathic medicines commonly prescribed for keloid are – Acid Flour, Acid Nit, Baryta carb, Bryonia, Calc carb, Calc flour, Hepar sulph, Phytolacco, Radium brom, Silicea, Spigelia, Sulphur, Thuja, Tuberculinum, etc. These medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified Homoeopath.

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Published on May 22^nd, 2006