Keloid on Face: Treatment Options and What Actually Works?

You noticed a scar growing beyond the wound edge. It has been months since the injury healed, a pimple, a small cut, an ear piercing, a surgical incision, and the scar is larger now than when it first appeared. It is firm, itchy, and raised. It does not feel or look like a normal scar. If the scar is continuing to grow, is growing into surrounding normal skin, or is returning after you tried to treat it, you are describing a keloid. Keloids on the face require a specific approach. They are not treated the same way as hypertrophic scars, and the consequences of the wrong treatment, particularly surgical excision without adjuvant management, are a larger keloid, not a smaller one. This guide explains what keloids actually are, what treatments work for facial keloids specifically, and what patients in Pune can realistically expect from properly managed treatment.

Keloid treatment on the face in Pune involves a combination approach: intralesional steroid injections, silicone, pulsed dye laser, and in selected cases surgical excision only when paired with adjuvant therapy. Surgery alone on a keloid has a 50 to 80 percent recurrence rate and often produces a larger scar. The goal is to flatten, soften, and reduce the keloid without triggering recurrence. Cost in Pune ranges from Rs. 3,000 per steroid session to Rs. 50,000 or more for surgical revision with adjuvant treatment.

What Makes a Keloid Different from a Normal Raised Scar?

Not every raised scar is a keloid. Understanding the distinction determines the entire treatment approach.

The distinguishing features of a keloid:

• • • • Grows beyond the original wound boundary. This is the defining characteristic. A hypertrophic scar remains within the margins of the original wound. A keloid invades the surrounding normal skin, expanding beyond where the injury was.

      • Does not regress on its own. Hypertrophic scars often improve and flatten over 12 to 24 months. Keloids do not spontaneously improve, they may continue growing for years without treatment.

      • Has site preferences. On the face, the jawline and the earlobes are the most common keloid sites. The central face (nose, forehead, perioral area) is rarely affected. This site specificity is a useful diagnostic clue.

      • Has a strong genetic component. Keloid formation runs in families. If a parent or sibling has keloids, the patient’s risk is significantly higher. Patients of Indian, African, and Asian descent have higher keloid rates than patients of European descent.

      • Recurs after surgery alone. This is the most clinically important feature. Surgical excision without a concurrent adjuvant protocol (steroid injections, radiation, pressure, laser) has a recurrence rate of 50 to 80 percent. The new keloid often forms larger than the original.

Why the Wrong Treatment Makes Keloids Worse?

This is the most important thing to understand about keloid management in Pune and across India.

Keloids are frequently treated with surgical excision alone. This is done because excision is familiar, fast, and produces an immediate visible result. It also produces a very high recurrence rate. The wound created by excision heals with the same keloid-forming biology that created the original, and the new wound is larger.

The second common error is laser alone. Ablative laser applied directly to a facial keloid can trigger an inflammatory response that stimulates keloid growth. Laser has a role in keloid management, but it requires careful selection by scar type and is not appropriate as a standalone first-line treatment for facial keloids.

Patients who have had keloid excision elsewhere and watched the keloid return larger are not unusual. The correct response to a recurrent keloid is not more aggressive surgery, it is a combined treatment protocol.

Dr. Dhruv Chavan, plastic surgeon at Dr. DC Plastic Surgery in Pune, holds an MCh in Plastic Surgery and is a member of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI). Patients from Kharadi, Baner, Viman Nagar, NIBM, Hinjewadi, Prabhat Road, Pimple Saudagar, and across Pune attend keloid consultations at Dr. DC Plastic Surgery, including patients whose keloids have recurred after treatment elsewhere.

Keloid on Your Face That Keeps Growing or Has Come Back After Treatment? Get a Proper Assessment First.

At Dr. DC Plastic Surgery, Dr. Dhruv Chavan assesses facial keloids and builds a treatment plan around the keloid’s size, site, recurrence history, and your skin type. The correct approach is a combined protocol, not a single treatment in isolation.

 View Scar Revision and Keloid Treatment

What Actually Works for Facial Keloids?

Intralesional steroid injections (first-line treatment). Triamcinolone acetonide injected directly into the keloid softens the scar tissue, reduces itching and discomfort, and flattens the elevation over a series of sessions. For most facial keloids, this is the primary treatment and the starting point. Sessions are scheduled every 4 to 6 weeks. Response is typically seen from the third session onward. The number of sessions depends on keloid size and response.

This approach is conservative, avoids surgery, and does not trigger a wound-healing response. It is the safest way to reduce a facial keloid without risking recurrence.

Silicone gel. Continuous use of medical-grade silicone gel over the keloid surface softens the scar and reduces vascularity and colour over months of consistent application. Not a standalone treatment for large or symptomatic keloids, but an important part of any ongoing management protocol and a useful first step while arranging clinical treatment.

Pulsed dye laser (PDL). Targets the vascularity of the keloid, reducing redness, itching, and tenderness without the ablative injury that ablative lasers create. PDL can be used alongside steroid injections to address the vascular and inflammatory component of the keloid. It does not flatten the scar on its own, it is used as part of a combination protocol.

Surgical excision with adjuvant steroid injection. For selected facial keloids, particularly those that are not responding adequately to injection and laser, surgical excision can be considered, but only when a concurrent steroid injection protocol is initiated at the time of wound closure and continued through the healing period. This combination reduces recurrence risk significantly compared to excision alone.

The decision to proceed with surgery requires careful assessment of the patient’s keloid history (first occurrence or recurrent), the site, and the response to prior treatments. Surgery is not the starting point for facial keloid management, it is a later consideration for keloids that have not responded to the primary approach.

Keloid Sites on the Face and What They Mean

Earlobe keloids. The most common facial keloid site. Usually follows ear piercing, minor trauma, or infection. Earlobe keloids respond well to combined intralesional steroid and surgical excision with postoperative steroid injection, particularly for small to moderate earlobe keloids. Pressure earrings worn after treatment reduce recurrence. This is among the more treatable keloid locations.

Jawline keloids. Often follows acne, ingrown hairs, or minor cuts. The jawline is a high-tension area and recurrence risk after surgical excision is significant. Non-surgical management with steroid injections and silicone is usually the primary approach. Surgery is considered for keloids that have not responded after an adequate trial of injection treatment.

Post-acne facial keloids. Multiple small keloids distributed across the lower face following cystic acne. Each is treated individually with intralesional steroid injections. New keloids can appear at new acne sites, treating active acne simultaneously is part of the management.

Cost of Keloid Treatment in Pune

At Dr. DC Plastic Surgery:

Earlobe keloids tend to be on the lower end of the range. Large, recurrent, or multiple keloids require more sessions and are priced accordingly. A full treatment plan and cost estimate is provided at consultation. See the treatment pricing and the financing for payment options.

What to Expect at Your Keloid Consultation?

The consultation at Dr. DC Plastic Surgery begins with a history and examination. Dr. Dhruv Chavan determines whether the scar is a keloid or hypertrophic scar, reviews any prior treatments and their outcomes, assesses the keloid’s current activity (actively growing, stable, or in regression), and establishes a treatment protocol matched to the keloid’s characteristics.

Patients who have had keloid excision elsewhere that recurred are assessed for the most appropriate approach going forward. The goal is a protocol that produces meaningful reduction without triggering a larger recurrence.

You leave the consultation with a diagnosis, a treatment protocol, a realistic expectation of what improvement is achievable, and a cost estimate.

Keloid Treatment Consultations Across All Six Pune Locations, Kharadi, Baner, NIBM, Pimple Saudagar, Prabhat Road, Pune Station

Dr. DC Plastic Surgery has six clinic locations across Pune. Patients from East Pune, West Pune, and central Pune each have a clinic within easy reach for keloid assessment, ongoing injection treatment, and follow-up.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a keloid on the face be permanently removed?

There is no treatment that guarantees permanent removal of a keloid. The aim of treatment is meaningful reduction in size, symptoms (itching, tenderness), and appearance. With a properly managed combination protocol, most facial keloids achieve significant improvement. Some achieve near-complete flattening. Recurrence risk is managed through adjuvant treatment, not eliminated.

Is it safe to cut out a keloid on the face?

It is safe in terms of the surgery itself. The concern is what happens afterward. Surgical excision without adjuvant treatment (steroid injections started at the time of surgery) has a 50 to 80 percent recurrence rate for keloids. The new keloid that forms is often larger than the original. Surgery should only be considered as part of a combination protocol, not as a standalone treatment.

My keloid came back after surgery. What should I do now?

A recurrent keloid after surgery should not be re-excised without a clear adjuvant plan. The starting point is intralesional steroid injection to reduce the current keloid, followed by reassessment of whether further surgical intervention is appropriate. Many recurrent keloids respond well to injection treatment and can achieve significant improvement without further surgery.

How many steroid injection sessions are needed for a facial keloid?

Most facial keloids require 4 to 8 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart for meaningful improvement. Response varies by keloid size, location, and the individual’s healing biology. Sessions are continued until a satisfactory result is reached or the response plateaus.

Can a keloid on the face be prevented from growing further without surgery?

Yes. Intralesional steroid injections, particularly when started while the keloid is still actively growing, can arrest growth and reduce the existing bulk. Early intervention is more effective than delayed treatment. If you notice a scar growing beyond the original wound boundary on your face, a consultation at this stage leads to better outcomes than waiting.

A Keloid on Your Face Needs Specialist Management, Not Just Excision

Book a consultation with Dr. Dhruv Chavan, plastic surgeon in Pune, at Dr. DC Plastic Surgery. Leave with a diagnosis, a proper treatment protocol, and a realistic understanding of what improvement is achievable.

Book Your Keloid Consultation or call +91 99604 341 11