Management of Keloids

Management of Keloids
By: Thad Riley
Advisor: Bill Grimes


What is a Keloid?
* Non-cancerous fibrous proliferations that occur in the dermis after trauma or injury to the skin
* Keloids grow beyond the boundaries of the original wound site (vs. hypertrophic scar)
* Etiological factors that determine how a scar becomes a keloid remain unknown

Who and Why?
* Individuals with darker-pigmented skin or who freckle are more predisposed
* Seen largely in Africans, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians
* Can be a familial/genetic predisposition
* Can be due to immunological causes
* Bottom line… No one knows!

How? (Pathophysiology)
* A result of an overactive inflammatory response and fibroblast proliferation
* A result of an abnormal collagen deposition in healing skin wounds
* Skin wound tension is a contributing factor in keloid formation
* Individuals with an inflammatory or infectious element are at a predisposition for keloids

Where?
* Anterior Chest
* Mandibular angle
* Shoulder
* Earlobes
* Upper Arms & Upper Back
* Posterior Neck
* Lateral Neck

So…What’s the Problem?

The Problem
* PROBLEM is with the TREATMENT OPTIONS
* The pathophysiology of these scars is so poorly understood that it is basically unknown
* Surgery is the only approved treatment
* A successful surgical protocol for removal of these types of scars is greatly lacking
* Surgical treatments available today only provide temporary relief
* Often grow back and do so in an aggressive manner

Possible Solutions
* Surgical excision alone
* Post-surgical treatment agents:
o Mitomycin C solution
o The dietary compound quercetin
o Imiquimod 5% topical cream
o Intralesional corticosteroid injection
o Topical silicone gel sheets

How they work…
* Mitomycin C solution (MC)
o An anti-neoplastic agent
o Has anti-proliferative effects on fibroblasts, stopping keloid formation
o MC effectively blocks angiogenesis during the healing process of the wound, thus inhibiting keloid development
o MC is widely available and relatively cheap
* The dietary compound quercetin
o most common sources: apples, onions, red wine, and ginkgo biloba.
o has strong anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial characteristics
o Inhibit keloid fibroblast proliferation, collagen production, and contraction of keloid derived fibroblasts
* Imiquimod 5% topical cream
o Induces apoptosis in keloidal tissue
* Intralesional corticosteroid injection
o Inhibit fibroblast growth and break down collagen deposition
o postoperative steroid injection is the most common form of keloid treatment
o corticosteroids commonly used include hydrocortisone and dexamethasone.
* Topical silicone gel sheets
o Impermeable to water, reduces hemostasis and therefore, decreases the hyperemia and fibrosis often associated with keloids
o have been used for more than twenty years to help reduce the size of scarring
o efficacy and safety of the silicone gel sheets is well established.

And the Winner is…
* Imiquimod 5% topical cream
Analysis
* 13 keloids from 12 patients were surgically removed
* All keloids were present for at least 1 year and free of any treatment for the past 2 months
* A thin layer of imiquimod 5% cream was applied topically each night for 8 weeks
* 4 week asessments
* At 24 weeks, no keloids had recurred

Pilot study of the effect of postoperative imiquimod 5% cream on the recurrence rate of excised keloids (Berman and Kaufman, 2002 )
* 2 cases of irritation and superficial erosion were reported; resolved with cessation of the cream
* At the 24 week assessment, RECURRENCE RATES of keloids treated with imiquimod 5% cream were LOWER than any previously reported in the literature
* Study did not control for the effects of vehicle application or other potential variables
* Further comparative studies with longer follow-up periods are needed
* Additional studies needed to determine dosing frequency and duration

Pilot study of the effect of postoperative imiquimod 5% cream on the recurrence rate of excised keloids (Berman and Kaufman, 2002 )

Conclusion
* To develop a successful treatment plan for the keloid, two things have to be done:
o 1. Further research to better understand the causes behind keloid formation
o 2. Establish a standard surgical protocol
* In short, the topic of keloids is greatly under-exposed.

References

Management of Keloids.ppt