Keloid scars are very difficult to treat through surgery. Since surgical keloid removal always leads to the formation of scar tissue, recurrence is very high. For this reason, it might be a good idea to search for non surgical options to treat this type of scar tissue.

Fortunately, there are several non surgical procedures that you can undergo to help treat keloid scars. Any one of those procedures can be used on its own or in combination with each other as well as with surgery. If you're wondering what those non surgical alternatives are, here is a short list:

*Corticosteroid injections, also known as steroid injections

*Silicone Sheets

*Compression Therapy or Compression Devices

*Laser Therapy

*Cryotherapy

Out of all of these options the most common are corticosteriods. Steroid injections (aka corticosteroids) help flatten keloids making them less apparent, even though the scar tissue may still feel different than the surrounding skin.

This type of treatment can be used before and after keloid scar removal or, if need be, it can also be used during the surgical procedure to help reduce the appearance of keloids. In essence, the use of this type of treatment will depend greatly on the person's predisposition to developing keloids.

Silicone sheets are also used frequently to flatten all types of scars, not just keloids. These sheets are worn for a few hours a day for a few weeks. They have been quite successful in keeping keloids from forming again.

Silicone sheets are usually sold as an OTC treatment and can be cut to fit the size of the scar. Despite their success rate, they aren't as effective as compression therapy.

Compression therapy has been used for decades to treat keloids and hypertrophic or raised scars. When scars are treated with this type of treatment the compression devices used are usually custom fitted and worn anywhere from 24 hours to a year.

Laser therapy is another effective keloid scar treatment wherein a pulsed dye laser is used to flatten the scar. This procedure can also help eliminate the redness that is common with keloid scars.

Carbon dioxide lasers are highly successful and can also help reduce the recurrence of keloid formation. Consult with your doctor about the right type of laser therapy for you.

Finally, cryotherapy can be used to treat smaller scars and scars that are in areas that are difficult to compress. In this case liquid nitrogen is used to help flatten the affected tissue. It is a very effective type of treatment, but it can cause a darkening of the treated area.