Toronto, ON: (416) 663-9649
The Centre for Minor Surgery
5109 Steeles Avenue West – Unit 300
Toronto, ON M9L 2Y8
Phone: (416) 663-9649
Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Surgery, piercings, and even injuries can create dark, puffy, irregularly shaped scars called keloids. This non-cancerous type of scarring is usually due to genetics and the location of the wound. At the Centre for Minor Surgery (CFMS), our plastic surgeons are experienced in keloid scar treatment and removal to help Toronto patients from Barrie, Mississauga, Kitchener, Oakville, and other nearby cities feel more confident.
Usually, a wound, cut, or surgical incision will heal with a scar that is more or less the same dimensions and shape as the wound itself with varying degrees of pigmentation and texture from person to person. Keloids, on the other hand, are variations in healing and scarring in which the scar seems to take on a life of its own, growing far outside the dimensions of the wound that caused it. The keloid scar is much larger, and more raised and pigmented than an ordinary scar and can be very cosmetically disfiguring.
One classic example of a keloid occurs after a simple ear piercing. A very large, nodular, and purple scar forms after a few months, which can be many centimetres in size and be of extreme concern to the patient.
The cost of keloid treatment or removal at our Ontario clinic in Canada will vary depending on your individual needs. We will provide you with a personalized price quote that accounts for the lesion’s size, location, and other factors before starting any procedure. Please visit our pricing page for more information.
Keloids are not tumours; they are scar tissue which—for genetic reasons—forms in an abundance with an appearance that is undesirable. Certain ethnic groups, especially those with darker skin, are more genetically prone to forming keloids. Areas of the body especially prone to forming keloid scars include:
It is not uncommon for a person who has healed normally their entire life to later form a keloid from a cut or incision on one of these keloid-prone body areas.
While keloids eventually stop growing and changing, they do not go away without intervention.
Keloids are difficult to treat because they are the result of the patient’s body healing a wound in that area the way it is genetically programmed to do so. Medical science has not yet figured out a way to “trick” the body into healing normally. As such, if a cut or piercing leads to a keloid, the surgery done to remove the keloid will very often also heal with a keloid. The recurrence rate for keloids, even with the best treatments is therefore very high.
At CFMS, we generally treat keloids with a combination of surgical removal and follow-up cortisone injections. While treatments are often highly successful, there is always a strong and unpredictable chance of recurrence for any patient.
While anyone can develop keloid scars, they’re more common in people who:
Keloids are actually a dense, fibrous form of scar tissue. They cannot be popped or drained and are likely to become infected if you attempt to do so.
If you are prone to getting keloids, it is risky to get piercings, tattoos, or cosmetic procedures—especially in areas where keloids are likely to form. If you get a new piercing on your earlobe and notice the skin thickening, you may be able to suppress keloid growth by removing the piercing right away and applying a pressure earring. Contact our office at (416) 663-9649 if you have questions.
Once a keloid has formed, it will not go away–even if you remove the jewelry.
Visit our FAQs page for more information about minor surgery at our centre.
To meet with one of the plastic surgeons at The Centre for Minor Surgery in Toronto, book a consultation using our online form or by calling
(416) 663-9649.
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At The Centre For Minor Surgery our goal is to provide excellence in surgical treatment for benign and cancerous growths. We strive to overcome the problem of long waiting times. No referral is needed to be seen by one of our Royal College-certified plastic surgeons.
