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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 options can be used on its own or in combination with another product or surgery. If you're wondering what those non surgical alternatives are, here is a short list:

*Corticosteroid injections, also known as cortisone or steroid injections

*Silicone Sheets

*Compression Therapy or Compression Devices

*Laser Therapy

*Cryotherapy

Among the options listed above, corticosteriods are the most common treatment for keloids. Steroid injections (aka corticosteroids) help flatten keloids making them less apparent, even though the scar tissue may still feel different than the surrounding skin.

Corticosteriods are used primarily before and after keloid scar removal to hinder the appearance of a new keloid. However, they can be used during the procedure for the same purpose. In essence, the use of this type of treatment will depend greatly on the person's predisposition to developing keloids.

Silicone sheets are another type of option used to treat all types of scars, including keloids. These sheets are worn for a few hours a day and 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. Although this type of treatment has a high success rate, they are slightly less effective than another type of treatment - compression therapy.

Compression therapy has been around for decades to help 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 that uses a pulsed dye laser to flatten the scar. This procedure is sometimes used to help eliminate the redness that is common with keloid scars.

Carbon dioxide lasers can also be used to treat keloids. This treatment is 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. With this type of treatment liquid nitrogen is used to flatten the affected tissue, but be wary because it can make the treated area look darker than the surrounding tissue.