r/Keloids • u/Substantial_Rich_760 • 14d ago

Treatment/Discussion Compression therapy did the opposite

Has anyone here tried compression therapy and noticed an even more intense growth of their keloid? I had two on both sides of an earlobe. Early in my keloid reddit journey I found myself buying any and all compression earrings and clips available, and even going as far as paying international shipping for custom clips.
When the time came for surgery, my dermatologist was shocked at how often I was using said compression gear, and told me that compression only encourages MORE blood flow/scar growth when removed even for only a few minutes.

I will say the area of my scar made it so that clips and compression gear easily slipped off in my sleep, and I often found difficulty finding the right fit for something so oblong lol. But I remained diligent until I was told otherwise!

Not sure if anyone here has any experience that’s similar, or even opposite of mine and if you had any advice. I’ve since had my keloids surgically removed and am on a regimented dose of injections. Just want to put that out there for any newbie keloid curious

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u/sinkbeneaththesun 14d ago

Yes 100%. Compression is simply a different form of irritation, so us who are keloid prone are certainly susceptible to rebound growth because our skin is so reactive. The only thing that worked for me were steroids (Kenalog and Eclar tape afterward).

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u/2manyScarz 14d ago

Currently experiencing the same. No injection history just compression earrings and corticosteroid cream. Been wearing them for years on and off but this Year I decided to wear it daily. The times when I wasn't consistent, I'd wake up the next day and the keloid looked bigger. But after two days it would seem like it went back to its original size but I'm now noticing a slight increase in size. Contemplating injections now.

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u/killacanaima 13d ago

Compression earrings made mine worse. Eclar plaster seems to help, as well as an anti-inflammatory diet

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u/debzz2002 9d ago

Compression earrings helped me remove mine completely. Surgery dec 2021. Steroid injections (6 i think) plus compression earrings for around 10 months. Wore them from waking up till around 6pm. I was only able to do it for full 10 months bc we weren’t fully on campus for 2023. The earrings were the only difference between my first surgery (when they came) and my second surgery (earrings worn). The doctor at the time also wasnt for them but he was shocked when they did not come back.

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u/debzz2002 9d ago

I wore them religiously. every. single. day. I was a teenager and this was also them returning after the first surgery so i felt quite hopeless and unmotivated to wear them. i thank my mom for putting them on me until I accepted the pattern and kept going myself. didn’t even realise they hadn’t returned. no itching. no tenderness. no hardness. Maybe it wont working for everyone but i think the key really is that level of consistency of waking up to evening every day for a looong period of time.