Let’s talk about keloids! I really think they’re something that a lot of darker skinned/black people are affected by, but have very little information on. So let’s gooooo

A keloid is basically a raised scar. When your skin is injured it can create keloids when it scars and extra scar tissue is produced. Darker skinned people are vastly more susceptible to developing keloids, but medical professionals aren’t too sure why - probably melanin related

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent a keloid (other than not injuring your skin), and once a keloid develops it can continue to grow over a long period of time.

Keloids often develop when you get a piercing or a tattoo and as the skin tries to heal, it keloids which can really affect your confidence and take away from the appearance of the piercing or tattoo

If you have developed a keloid from a skin injury at any point in your life, it is more likely that a piercing or tattoo that you get will form a keloid, even if it’s in a different location on the body - that’s just how skin is

Treating keloids at home is really difficult. The best thing to do if you get a piercing and develop a keloid is to remove it, eventually the keloid will reduce in size. You could also leave it in and hope it goes away, but often they continue to grow

Retinoids like tretinoin and isotretinoin can help to reduce the size and improve the appearance of keloids, but this can take a very long time. If this doesn’t work, you may need to have it frozen off by a medical professional, or surgically removed

You can also get gel and plasters that can help improve the appearance and size of keloids, but these don’t always work for everyone so do your research properly before trying anything.

It is a misconception that having a keloid after getting a piercing or a tattoo means that you haven’t looked at it properly, the truth is that’s just how some people’s skin deals with trauma

You are also more likely to develop keloids if you parents have had keloids in the past, genetics love to play us

& even after a keloid is removed, it can actually grow back again, but a lot of the time keloids go away (eventually) on their own without any medical treatment

Hypertrophic scars are another more common for of scarring that can be confused for a keloid, and often happen after skin injuries like piercings. The difference between the two can be hard to tell but hypertrophic scars are normally flatter and smaller than keloids

Hypertrophic scars do go away on their own, and the best way to tell them apart is that they don’t grow beyond the original wound.