What happened after?

Long story short my keloid grew back within a matter of months. A year after the first keloid removal, my keloid was back to its original peanut size and it has plateaued at that size for a few months before I decided to take it down again. 

Second time round worked like a charm. The keloid hasn't resurfaced and it's now going on 3 years since then. Here is what my ear looks like now and I believe as long as I don't get cartilage piercings again, then I will continue to be confident that it will not resurface again.

I lived happily ever after.

Reminder, this is what I did.
No way should you do this too. What worked out for me might not work out for you.

Easy access links

Here are shortcuts to parts of my keloid killing journey. This is my first attempt that took 24 days. I documented my second attempt which only took 09 days for the keloid to fall off. Feel free to comment and ask questions, because I really do answer them. I check this space regularly. Anything to help my fellow keloid victims.

Day 01 Applying the bands
Day 02 Ripping the band aid off
Day 03 Stinging is back
Day 04 Clean clean clean clean CLEAN!
Day 05 Could this be the cutting of the base O:
Day 06 Show and tell
Day 07 Losing hope
Day 08 Lol at my emotional break down (Skipped)
Day 09 Flakes! I gotta feeling :P
Day 10 Cut cut cut this base!
Day 11 Tick tock
Day 15 Update since break lol
Day 19 Please die stem
Day 24 Drop off day, case closed
Post 5 months So far so good
The experience after if falling off - did it grow back?











 

The experience after it falling off, did it grow back?

It's so crazy how a small keloid could look so big on your ear. How much shame I had in it. Taping it down with plaster just to hide it. Making an excuse saying that I had a new piercing and piercings are not welcome in the work place. Dangg, the humiliation I went through when I didn't cover it up. The questions people asked. The relief to have it gone! The most free I have ever felt! Happy, happy, joy, joy.

When the keloid fell off, it still felt like I had a keloid. A 2D keloid. My ear had  the same sensitivity where it used to be (not entirely, I could sleep on it, but let's face it, it wasn't completely normal as if the keloid was never there to begin with). -- I used to wonder what people meant when they'd say "is it like a normal ear?" well it is not. It is as if the keloid were a tree.. The tree is gone but you are left with the stump.

This stump..... CAN GROW BACK! If not looked after properly, your keloid CAN grow back. I know people are living proof that it won't grow back, but you all need to know the truth. Some people want to be the best of all success stories, a "survivor" of this trying process, but for real.. You need to have a plan.

Let's do some plans together.
It will be handy to have some pressure earring for when it falls off.
This is a very practical way of knowing you are doing something for your keloid to prevent it from sprouting out again. This is the only way I can see so far.
I know everyone is into teatree oil and using wart treatment, but I can't promise that'll work. And if it doesn't, I wouldn't know until the keloid starts developing again.

Now... did it grow back? YES IT DID! I was keloid free for about 5 months or so. Then it started to creep up on me after those 5 months. I thought it'll be just a minor keloid. Almost like a small swell. But no, it only grew and grew to its original size. It could have grown bigger perhaps? Maybe it could've went bigger the first time, had I not strapped it down so tightly with the plaster. When it grew back I didn't bother with the plaster because I was less shamed of it (I wasn't going to let it rob me of my confidence again).

yes I am documenting it this time round as well. you can see it at http://keloidkilling2.blogspot.co.nz/) I'm currently on my third day as I am writing -- this time, I plan on it being the last time I have to go through this!
 

Post 5 months & so far so good

I don't have my phone on me, so I can't take a photo like I usually would. However I will edit this at a later date and show you what it looks like. In all honesty, I knew my bands were secure tightly at the very base but I guess there must be something deeper with keloids than just being on the surface, in my case anyway.

In my case, where the keloid used to be, is not just a normal ear (like my other ear that never had a keloid). My now keloid-free ear is sensitive where the keloid used to be (as if there's an invisible keloid there, almost as if there is a stump -- if we talk in tree language). Visibly, there is evidence that there used to be something there, yet it is tonnes flatter than how it was initially. I'm not insecure about it like I used to be in the beginning of the journey.

Another honest moment, ever since the time of my last post I have stopped using aloe vera juice and have left it untreated once it had completed healed. There has been little change since there. The biggest change would have to be colour. It has darkened a fair bit.

In conclusion, keloid hasn't risen. Colour has darkened. Ear is still sensitive. It's nothing I'm too worried about, I'd still tie my hair up and expose it with no shame of insecurities. Nobody has reacted to it or brought it to my attention. My actions in the future? Is to treat it with some wart remover of some sort. Will let you know when it's all confirmed.

Don't you worry, I'll post a before and after shortly lol.

Day 24 drop off day! case closed

The same routine continues to occur. Shower deep rinse, clean and tighten.. forget, repeat. It got boring, the fact it's still there, the pains from accidental collision, became too sensitive. So boring that I raised the scissors lol! I woke up today, with the intention to cut it off with a pair of sanitized scissors after the deepest rinse in the shower to really soften it up ;)

Stood in the mirror, scissors raised, worst scenario playing in my head (I snip the scissors, they're blunt and because of the pain I'd yank the jammed keloid stem off.. with an army off keloids forming because of the skin trauma, and crazy bleeding.. lol). I lower the scissors and began snipping the air, thinking how much more easier to snap these scissor blades together down here away from my ear...

I play with my keloid, just to see how much was still attached. I pulled on it slowly ): so sad at this point, just to see if the stem will hurt.. and I pulled and I pulled and I thought hey???? This is pretty far off? And it detached, without any pain whatsoever (it was funny, cos while it hung, it hurt more than when it actually came off) so thankful! Tyj!

I gave a big HA! Of laughter as my tiny bit of hope was relieved... I am a keloid rubber band removal victor lols.

I continue to sanitize with dettol and top it off with aloe vera, straight from the plant. I refridgerate it, snap a fresh piece until I move onto another leaf.

So happy, the pain is gone and I'm free (: it took forever! For next time, I wouldn't use elastic bands, I'd use tiny rubber bands. Cos it doesn't lose its elasticity as much (meaning if done tightly enough, you could get away without the string, which is more ideal).

Day 19, please die stem

My keloid is dead dead dead. Black and hard and ugly. However the stem is getting smaller, yayyy, but still alive! I cannot just cut it off unless I want it to hurt and take forever to heal, which is not what I wanna do. Still waiting for it to drop off, it's beyond day 18, but hopefully by day 22 it'll be gone ): so sad! But each day brings me closer. These extensions are guidelines from other peoples' journey. Keeping in mind that everyone is different, and mine just happens to take forever.

The stem is now starting to hurt when I clean. It's very sensitive, especially when I try get under the keloid (lifting it to get under, like I said, it's literally hanging). It's soft from the shower rinse, but when it dries.. it gets hard and sets.

I've cut the excess pink thread (yesterday) to attach another piece of thread (amber, yellow). Every time I tighten it, it kinda bleeds. So I just wipe it up with a clean cotton bud and we're good to go.

Around the keloid, on my actual ear, it still continues to flake ever so slightly. Enough to not flake everywhere, and enough to accumulate and swab up when it's cleaning time. There's the occasional itch, so itch carefully. Still sore if it ever gets bumped, as usual.

Day 15, update since break lol

Brief summary until now.
The keloid is still very much there, still very much attached. However, now I would say it appears to be shriveling. Slightly, but it is what it is lol.
The day before yesterday, I had taken the keloid for a super rinse (to get it clean and soft per usual via shower), then I had tightened the string as tight as I could thinking it'll detach itself, (I wouldn't be mad if it did lol) but it didn't!! However, it started to bleed. Not crazily, but it did. I don't know how, but instead of bleeding at the base, where the string was being tightened, it bled at the top of the rubber band tower. Anyway, clean clean clean all done.

It hangs like this, so much that if I stomp, I can feel it tremble (lol). It's still flaking a bit. especially when it gets an itch. Itch carefully!! It's not all that sensitive but it does hurt when you attempt to take it off. I don't think the stem has fully died off at this point because of that.

I aim for 18 days before this keloid drops. Ive accepted the fact that I'm in the slow group of keloid killing lol, which was hard when I thought I would take 7 days. When day 19 hits and this thing is still here, I'd be devastated!! But still, each day brings me closer. Like I've said before, I wouldn't want to tear the stem that's still alive, before I traumatize my skin for it to cause another keloid ): who knows.. it would be IN the ear next time!! Chin up. Time will come

Here's a YouTube video I like to watch lols. It's comforting. Informative. I like to research and research to give me a little bit more hope than I already have (: and I'd like to share that with you if you're the same way. Enjoy :P