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After a large, deep wound has occurred to the skin, whether by accident or due to surgery, both skin cells and connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) begin multiplying to repair the damage. The fibroblasts form a framework upon which the skin cells can migrate and fill in the wound. It is the balance between the rate of replication of fibroblasts versus skin cells that is important here. If the skin cells do not replicate fast enough and the fibroblasts replicate too quickly, the result is a dense network of fibroblasts. This dense network of fibroblasts is not easily penetrated by the skin cells, so the skin cells have a hard time replacing the fibroblasts. What results is a dense network of fibroblasts, in other words a scar! If the skin cells replicate quickly and keep up with the fibroblasts, then little scar tissue is formed and the skin has a more normal appearance after the wound has healed. This is why scars do not occur as often in younger people as in older people because the skin cells in younger people replicate more quickly and fill in the wound with normal skin tissue versus too many fibroblasts.

With keloids, the fibroblasts continue to replicate even after the wound is filled in. Thus keloids project above the surface of the skin and form large mounds of scar tissue. Certain ethnic groups are prone to forming keloids. Operating on a keloid usually stimulates more scar tissue to form, so people with keloids are often told that there is nothing that can be done to get rid of their keloid(s). This is not true. Check out SCAR SO SOFT(tm) to find out how you can get rid of both scars and keloids!