Keloid and Hypertrophic Scars
The scar you trace with a finger in the mirror, firm and raised where the skin healed a little too enthusiastically. A raised scar has its own treatments, and an assessment at Wimpole Street tells you which kind yours is and exactly where to take it next.
At a glance
- Types Hypertrophic and keloid
- Key difference Keloids grow beyond the original wound
- Treated at Wimpole Street, London
- Course Varies
- First step Assessment and typing
What it is and why it happens
Most scarring people ask about is pitted, where too little collagen was laid down. Raised scarring is the opposite: too much.
The distinction that matters is whether the scar stays within the boundary of the original wound.
A hypertrophic scar is raised, red and firm, and it stays within the original injury. It frequently improves on its own over one to two years, and it responds well to treatment.
A keloid grows beyond the original wound into surrounding normal skin, often continuing to expand months or years afterwards. It does not resolve on its own, it recurs readily after treatment, and it can be itchy or painful. Keloids are far more common in darker skin and run strongly in families.
That difference decides the plan. Hypertrophic scarring is treated at Wimpole Street. True keloids are looked after by a dermatologist, where specialist approaches are discussed.
Regents Park Aesthetics assesses which you have and guides you to the right care, in clinic or with a dermatologist.
How we assess and treat
Assessment is mostly about typing, and it comes down to one question: does the scar stay inside the original wound or has it grown beyond it?
We also ask whether it is still changing. A scar that is still expanding is behaving like a keloid regardless of how it looks, and that changes the plan.
We take a family history, because keloid tendency runs strongly in families, and a skin type history, because keloids are considerably more common in deeper skin.
Where the scar looks like a true keloid, your clinician refers you to a dermatologist, who leads the care from there. Your clinician also runs through your medical history at the consultation.
Which treatment for your type of scar?
As a guide, this is how we typically match each type to a treatment. Your own plan is always confirmed at consultation, and where a dermatologist would serve you better, your clinician refers you.
Treatments that address it
| SkinPen Microneedling For hypertrophic scarring, remodelling the excess collagen and improving texture and colour across a course. Suitable for most skin tones after a skin check, which matters given who raised scarring most af | CO2 Laser Resurfacing For mature hypertrophic scars where texture is the main issue. Reserved for hypertrophic scars, with true keloids treated in dermatology. From £300. | Referral to Dermatology For true keloids, acne keloidalis and anything expanding. Specialist care is the right route rather than a cosmetic course he | |
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| £250 | £300 | On consultation | |
| Explore SkinPen Microneedling | Explore CO2 Laser Resurfacing | Explore Referral to Dermatology |
- £250
- £300
- On consultation
Compared side by side
Can you treat it at home?
Silicone is the one home measure with genuinely good evidence, in sheet or gel form, used consistently for at least three months and ideally longer. It is inexpensive, available from any pharmacy, and rewards a few months of daily use.
Pressure therapy helps on hypertrophic scarring, particularly after burns, and is usually arranged through the treating team.
Sun protection matters because new scars pigment easily and darkened scars are far more noticeable than raised pale ones.
Massaging a scar once it has fully closed makes it softer and more pliable.
Silicone and SPF are where to spend your money; vitamin E oil and onion extract gels have little good evidence behind them.
The most useful thing is timing. Scars respond far better in the first year while still remodelling, so an early visit makes the most of that window.
Frequently Asked Questions
A hypertrophic scar stays within the boundary of the original wound. A keloid grows beyond it into surrounding normal skin, often continuing months or years later. That single distinction decides the treatment.
Hypertrophic scars frequently improve over one to two years. Keloids tend to persist, and a dermatologist can treat them.
We assess them at Wimpole Street and refer you to dermatology, where a specialist plans your care.
They run strongly in families and are considerably more common in deeper skin tones. Neither is anything you did.
It is the home measure with the best evidence, in sheet or gel form, used daily for at least three months. It is inexpensive and rewards a few months of daily use.
There is little good evidence for it. Silicone sheets or gel are the better choice.
Within the first year, while it is still remodelling. Starting early makes the most of that window.
A flatter, softer, less noticeable scar. Treatment improves height, colour and texture, so the scar blends far more into the skin around it.
Microneedling suits most skin tones after a skin check, and your clinician plans laser with care on deeper skin. Your clinician runs through your medical history at the consultation.
Microneedling from £250, CO2 laser from £300. Dermatology referral is a separate route.
Feel like yourself, on a good day.
A medically led clinic where every plan starts with an assessment and every injectable is placed by a medical professional, so the result looks like you on your best day.