Peer Reviewed
Practical procedures

Keloids and hypertrophic scars: prevention and management in general practice

Darryl J Hodgkinson
Abstract
Prevention of cutaneous scarring by good surgical technique in lesion excision and laceration repair and judicious follow up is preferable to secondary management of scarring.
Key Points

    Unfavourable healing of surgically excised lesions and laceration repairs may result in hypertrophic and keloid scars. An understanding of the normal wound healing process will help general practitioners to follow up specialists’ or their own surgical excisions or laceration repairs so that cutaneous scarring is minimised. Explaining to patients the normal changes that occur during the healing of an incision can help allay patient concerns about possible scarring.

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