Update: going onto 3 years, keloid free

My snug piercing fell out on its own without my knowing. Ever since, the feeling I thought felt like a "keloid stump" was actually just my snug piercing. The keloid has never resurfaced, I did not touch my ear since I removed my keloid the second time and it has healed beautifully in my opinion.

I said I'd wear the pressure earring, but I didn't. I wore it for 3 days max and I just got fed up with how it clutched my ear. My keloid was on the cartilage part that doesn't want to be crunched flat. I didn't keep up with the aloe vera application, I didn't get tea tree oil or any kind of oil at that. I didn;t do anything fancy. I carry on with my daily routines. I didn't pay my keloid free ear any special attention.

The ear is a normal ear. It's not sensitive, it's not sore when bumped or bent or slept on. I can say it feels as if I've never had a keloid on this ear. The only evidence it left is the scar that is faint but still there. I'm blessed that it hasn't resurfaced, but it did take the second time round for me to be where I am.

Will be back for a personal keloid history lesson. lol

1 year, 9 months later

Previously I have said that my ear feels like there is a keloid stump. I said it's still sensitive as if there is a keloid but it's still tonnes flatter. WELL that is not the case!

Recently, my snug piercing had fallen off on it's own. I did not remove it myself because it was too tightly screwed. Now that it's been off, I have a better feeling of what my ear feels like.... and it feels like a totally normal ear! It's not sensitive at all! It's flexible and doesn't hurt when bumped or slept on.

It's going on two years being keloid free and it's looking positive that it will not come back!! When I touch it, it's evident where it used to be because the texture of the scarring it has left behind is different to the skin around it. It's very much flat and although there is a large scar, I am not letting it rob my confidence!

Day 26 - healed. It is finished

I havent been cleaning it as often as i used to. I have been keeping it dry, it hasnt been oozing pus so it was alright. It has been slightly itchy, id only itch around it but not the actual area. Today the scab came off in two layers. So that is all.

Here is the outcome below:

I have ordered a pressure earring and this is what it looks like. It doesnt fit too well only because of where my keloid was placed. Its a weird, thick, unleveled area. So maybe this will be okay for now, but i will invest in another more stronger holding earring. Then i will mostly use this one for special occasions :p

The journey has ended (: thank you. I will post up an update to see how life after removal has been.

Day 13 - healing

So here is a collection of my healing journey pictures. Its getting flakey around it, im not bothered by it. It does get itchy around the area, but I resist. Never do I scratch the area directly or attempt to peel.

I clean it whenever, mostly after a shower. Not paying any attention to it. After the shower, i dry it with a q-tip. I roll it on the surface, applying slight pressure. Sometimes, fluid will ooze out, and thats ok. Just dry it up some more with the q-tip, then finish off with a layer of disinfectant. I like to keep it as dry as possible.

 

 

(4)(5)(6)

 

(5) i woke and noticed some crispy golden stuff around the left edge. I just cleaned it up using a q-tip + disinfectant. I notice im able to slip the cotton bud underneath the scab. I dont wanna peel it off, just in case the whole thing is not ready. I took a peak and it was raw and pink. So i left it as it is, only clean (:

 

(6) today it was normal. no golden crisps this time. Flaking around the edges, itchy around the outside. I only do itch my skin, not the scab. This includes behind the ear and the very outside of the ear (the side, not the surface). Still carrying on my cleaning as normal. I won't pop the scab off until it's ready (when the skin is fully healed underneath and not raw and wet) -- even though half of it can be lifted off without pain.

Day 12 - healing process (3)

IDay 3 of post-op (lol)

You can see how big the keloid really was! Wow, it probably was the size of a grape!

The first pic is it before shower, and then post shower after cleaning. I do find the that second picture is more true to real life than the first one. However the red in the left is real, tho it lacks detail.

 

The way i clean the area now is quite different. Instead of soaking the ear, I would keep it as dry as possible. Of course if it gets wet, its not the end of the world. I would then dry the area with a cotton bud, then use the other side to pat on a layer of disinfectant.

In my past experience on a scraped knee, i would wipe off the layer of gunk that'll form over my wound. I felt this was the wrong move, because then i find my wound re-healing itself. So i do believe that the hard layer that gets soft in the shower should remain. No matter how easy it is to scoop off with the cotton bud. (Given that it is not pus, otherwise clear the pus. Know the difference) I also   reckon it leaves a scar behind :p thats just me though. 

This photo is what i have been using throughout my keloid killing journey.

The disinfectant was being used by someone else, so i rinsed out a small jar that used to hold brand new contact lenses, and put some Dettol in it. Then, i would dip the q-tip in it and use it that way.

Throughout this whole journey, that is all the disinfectant I used. It used to be full. Today I only used 1 q-tip. Prior to the keloid falling off, I would go through as many as it took to have the area cleaned to my liking.

It had to be dried. dried pus all gone, and patted down with disinfectant.

Day 09 (cont.) - So this happened

I managed to get it off lol.
I couldn't wait for nature to take its course so I played with it. It did hurt a very little bit. I wouldn't have played with it if it did cause great pain. I twisted it one way and see how far it could go. Then it just loosened and came off.

Now let the healing game begin.
After this, I would put a pressure earring on it to prevent it from growing back.

Before.. and after.

 

It's crazy how huge the keloid is, and how much it has shrivelled up and died. Of course, my excessive use of rubber bands could be the reason for this. TYJ for this day! I just put another layer of disinfectant on it and now I will be sleeping happily. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 09 - vigorous cleaning

Today my keloid remained the same as yesterday.
My keloid is rock solid, no pain when you squeeze it. I am able to sleep carefully on it, even though it is clearly hanging off a piece of skin now. [I was hoping it'll fall of in my sleep this way... However, it did not]

These pictures are showing just how close it is to falling off.
I had just finished cleaning it.

 

 I had a shower and ran my ear under the water for as much of my shower possible. This will allow the injury to soften up so that when you clean it, all the unnecessary gunk will come off easier. One my shower was done, I used a clean cotton bud to dry the area. I would roll the q-tip over the area. Then I would clean around the actual hanging keloid in a way that will weaken the remaining base. I do this in the hopes that it'll pop off without pain.

I decided to check to see if I can fall off by tugging on it gently. I twisted it one way until pain occurred (not a major pain, just enough to ensure myself it wasn't ready to come off). Then i'd twist it the other way in the same manner. No luck. But I did manage to loosen it up from one end. so it's hanging even more that yesterday. Nearly there. I didn't tighten the string. I forgot to, but I'm not fussed. Waiting game... tick tock.