Keloid scars aren't easy to treat, even through surgery. This is basically because surgical keloid removal always leads to the formation of scar tissue and recurrence is very high. For this reason, it may be a good idea to look 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 Devices or Compression Therapy

*Laser Therapy

*Cryotherapy

Among the options listed above, corticosteriods are the most common treatment for keloids. Steroid injections help flatten keloids. They become 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 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. 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 used for decades to treat keloids and hypertrophic or raised scars. Compression devices are usually custom fitted and worn for 24 hours or up 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 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.

Lastly, cryotherapy is a type of treatment used to treat smaller scars and scars that are in hard-to-reach areas. In this case liquid nitrogen is used to flatten the affected tissue. However, it can cause a darkening of the treated area.