Keloid scars?

So my son just got diagnosed with a keloid. The surgeon was all "don't touch it" since he's only 10—which is fine, I guess—but honestly, looking at that scar tissue growth is starting to freak me out a bit. Is anyone actually familiar with how much this stuff can spread or if there's any real danger here?😢

analogsailor98 said:My son was just diagnosed with a keloid. His surgeon was really kind about it—explained that at his age (he’s 10), we shouldn't even touch it—but I can't help feeling a bit uneasy. It's funny how fear always makes things look way bigger than they actually are, right? Does anyone know much about this scar tissue buildup and how serious it can actually get?😢

Think of a keloid as just any scar tissue that grows a bit past the edge of the original wound—it’s basically just an overgrowth, nothing to actually worry about.

jadeseal17 said:A keloid is just any scar tissue that grows past the wound edge—it's not some huge medical emergency.

Man, thanks for being real with me. I was honestly freaking out here... thanks.🙂

It looks like we’re dealing with a keloid scar here. Honestly, your best bet is to grab a second opinion from a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. You can have them surgically removed, though there is always a lingering chance they might pop back up. It’s not the end of the world, though.

Since we're talking about a ten-year-old, I'd suggest keeping the growth covered. It just seems better to avoid the risk of them getting picked on by classmates at school.

Alexander Lewis said:Sounds like a keloid scar to me. Honestly, just grab a second opinion from a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. You can surgically remove them, though they might pop back up—not the end of the world.

Since we’re talking about a 10-year-old, I figure it’s probably better to get rid of the growth so he isn't dealing with kids picking on him at school.

The peer stuff is fine, really. In the locker room after practice, everyone already knows about his scar, and he's actually pretty proud of how he got it.😁 He jokes about it, so the other kids don't even notice anymore. It's on his shoulder anyway... I was more concerned about the diagnosis and what that actually means for him.👍

There really isn’t any reason to start panicking over this... the kid was just out there blowing off some steam and acting like a bit of a rebel with the rest of those troublemakers... though I suppose when I look back at my own younger days, I remember how much trouble I used to get into myself... back then, I was practically covered in bruises and scrapes from one thing to the next, but you realize eventually that everything heals... he's still got such a young, resilient body, so there's really no reason to think things won't turn out perfectly fine

Keloids tend to show up more frequently among Black Americans, but they almost never turn into something malignant, so there's really no need to worry about them becoming cancerous.

The biggest headache is usually keloid growth—they can get a bit bigger over time—but you can always have them surgically removed. Just keep in mind, surgery isn't a total guarantee that the scar won't pop back up. Though, honestly, I’ll say it again: it’s really nothing to lose sleep over—it just ends up being a slightly larger, raised scar that sits above the skin level.

Alexander Lewis said:It sounds like what you're dealing with might be a keloid scar. Honestly, the best move would be to get a second opinion from a plastic surgeon or maybe a dermatologist. You can have keloids surgically removed, though there is always that slight chance they might pop back up. It’s really not a huge deal, though.

Since we're talking about a ten-year-old, I personally feel it might be better for them to have the growth removed just so they don't have to deal with any teasing or bullying from other kids at school.

I actually have a friend who went through something similar, and honestly, nobody ever said a word or made fun of them...☕

Don't sweat it too much:

The kids usually figure things out eventually, whereas for us older folks, the learning curve starts looking a lot steeper...🧐

Gary James27 said:Don't sweat it:

Youth recovers—old timers? Not so much...🧐

Here I am again—eyes wide, totally spiraling. Took my kid for a routine checkup today—just one of those standard school physicals—and the pediatrician pointed out this keloid on his shoulder. She suggested getting it removed, which basically just triggered my whole paranoia thing. Everything I dig up online makes it sound like it's purely an aesthetic issue, you know?

I'm wondering how likely it actually is for something like that to turn malignant—especially since the surgeon we saw about a year ago wouldn't even touch it, explaining pretty clearly that it didn't make sense to do anything because...

Probably being annoying, but😲🤷

Keloids are basically hard, itchy lumps of scar tissue. For people prone to them, they can pop up from just about any skin injury—and sometimes, they even show up out of nowhere without any clear trigger. They aren't dangerous, and you don't have to worry about them turning into cancer. I’ve seen folks try surgery or laser treatments, but honestly, they usually fail because the keloid just grows right back in the same spot. Your best bet is usually corticosteroid injections directly into the tissue, or using specialized hormone strips applied to the area to help shrink them down.🙂

Andrew Jones12 said:Keloids are just these hard, itchy lumps of scar tissue—for people prone to them, they can pop up from pretty much any skin damage, or sometimes just show up out of nowhere. They aren't dangerous and rarely turn into anything malignant, but while there's surgery and laser stuff available, it usually fails since the scar just grows right back in the same spot. There are treatments where a doctor injects corticosteroids directly into the tissue, or you can use hormone patches to help shrink them down.🙂

I mean, the kid doesn't even care about the keloid—he’s actually kind of proud of it, like some badge of honor for being a tough guy...
So, putting him through a surgical procedure with an uncertain outcome—only for the scar to probably just come back anyway—plus messing with corticosteroids? Seems pretty senseless to me.

I was honestly just trying to see if there were any serious long-term risks with a scar like that.
Maybe the doctor suggested treatment because of his sport—Judo—since that shoulder area gets irritated all the time from the friction of the gi...🤷

Does scarring persist once a keloid has been removed?