ABSTRACT
@#A keloid represents an excessive overgrowth of skin beyond the boundaries of an injury. Earlobe keloids usually follow ear piercing and can become large, sometimes producing remarkable disfigurement. Surgical excision, pressure dressing, intralesional corticosteroid injection, cryosurgery, radiation, and lasers have all been used to treat earlobe keloids. However, none has produced uniformly satisfactory results. Combinations of more than one modality have also been employed to yield successful outcomes. We describe cryotherapy as a single modality to treat sevenyear-old, multiple earlobe keloids. Three cryotherapy sessions with two freezing-thawing cycles of 30-40 seconds’ freezing time and two minutes’ thawing time, undertaken one month apart, resulted in complete flatness of the keloids and no recurrence after 5 years. We also evaluate keloid-related and operational factors that determine the success of cryotherapy as a monotherapy for earlobe keloids.
ABSTRACT
Background: Earlobe keloids are usually recalcitrant to treatment and have a high rate of recurrence. Verapamil is a calcium channel antagonist that has been shown to inhibit the synthesis/secretion of extracellular matrix molecules and increase collagenase. Objectives: This prospective study was designed to evaluate the results of treatment of recurrent earlobe keloids using keloidectomy with core fillet flap and intralesional verapamil injection. Methods: Nineteen keloids in 16 patients were treated using this technique with intralesional verapamil injection given intraoperatively, then every 2 weeks for 3 months, with postoperative follow‑up for 18 months. Results: Fourteen patients completed the study. Ten patients (71.4%) showed response to treatment. Four (28.6%) cases showed recurrence, two (14.2%) at the wound bed and another two (14. 2%) at the incision line. Eighty percent of responders were highly satisfied with their treatment. Conclusion: Keloidectomy with core fillet flap and intralesional verapamil injection is a reliable and cost‑effective method in the treatment of recurrent earlobe keloids with a low rate of recurrence and high patient satisfaction.