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.

Day 7 skip. Day 8 - the bands are off with a dramatic change

I skipped day 07 because it couldn't look any more identical to day 06. So here is what they look like today, the same as yesterday, the same as the day before.... Nothing but bands bands bands!

 

 

So I decided to get to the heart of the matter and see what's going on underneath these bands. At the point of removal, the only difficult part was getting them off LOL (duh) because they were intertwined. I did have seven after all. 5 plastic bands and 2 rubber bands.

 

Photo: 

Left -  we have my keloid, half way to total nakedness.

Right - total nude keloid. Holistic view from the back, where all the action is.

 

WOW! so that is what was hiding under my rubber bands? Is this what all the agony on day 1 was about. For me, this is a very quick process compared to my last keloid removal using this method. Under HALF the time!

This time I didn't wait for a shower to clean the keloid because I couldn't be bothered. All I wanted to do was remove the bands and clean the keloid. I want to shower later on in the day. So, that's exactly what I did. I removed my bands with the help of some scissors. It wasn't difficult at all (I would've though the bands would be stuck like glue to it, in that case I would have to take a shower to run some warm water over it for easier removal).

So this is what it looks like right now.

Photo:
Left - Naked keloid with just a piece of sting tied securely under the keloid. It if just hang off a piece of skin that is still too painful to come off (Yeah, I tested it out to see if it were easy enough to pull off with no pain.. there was pain, so I left it)
Right - The side view shot. So close for this journey to be over

Meanwhile... My pressure earring is on it's way. I don't mind that it'll come after it drops. I'm guessing my ear would have to heal before adding any pressure to it. I'm thinking that even if it does START to form, I'm sure the pressure earring will reduce and stop it.

 

Day 6 - taking the rubber bands off?

It seems crowded to be. I want to see what's going on, or should I just leave it be?
Maybe I'll take a few of them off just so I can see what I'm working with.

Super excited because I just ordered me some pressure earrings!
Most people have said that they receive theirs in about 10 days. That means It's possible for me to get it almost just in time before school starts. This keloid looks dead as can be. It almost seems like it'll take half the time my first keloid took to fall off.

Here is a current picture: not much of a difference right? Can't see the keloid well because of the bands.

 

 Next step will be to see how the cleaning process goes today. Is the base still tearing? and is it safe to remove some bands + add a string or a tighter band.

update: I didn't end up taking the bands off. Though I do feel it will be necessary at another point.

Day 5 - the first clean :S

I didn't feel the need for cleaning at first, because there was nothing to clean. I waited until I could see something to clean, and I saw something last night. [It was a crispy golden substance LOL]. I let it chill over night because I got up in the morning to clean it.

 

Photo: In the morning, before cleaning. It is not focussed on the golden crisp. However, in this pic you can see it is  mostly rubber bands showing. In the very centre, You can see the shrunken, shrivelled up, black keloid.

I didn't want to take a photo of it. Not even for the purpose of this blog. 1, with my tablet, it's quite awkward. 2, my tablet was low and needed to be charged. 3, I'm not too keen on my tablet being with me in the bathroom while I shower. I have this thing about electronics and steam [please... don't mention the kettle/ teapot].

You might be wondering why I say shower.
I give my keloid a really good rinse in the shower. I don't ever touch it with my fingers when cleaning. In the shower, I find it is easiest to rinse. You are able to let the water run over it for most of your shower. By then, your keloid will be well rinsed, the crust has softened, the gunk that could be blasted away is gone and you didn't irritate it in the process.

While it's still soft and wet.. This part it totally up to you now.
If you have a tonne of gunk! Then I suggest you use a dry q-tip to get rid of it and then continue with your disinfectant routine. If not then just go straight in with your disinfectant routine.

Don't have a disinfectant routine?
I put some disinfectant on a q-tip and apply it around the keloid. I pay special attention to open skin areas. If there is residue, I would use it to clean those out too. Of course, depending on how messy it is, I wouldn't hold back on how many q-tips to use.
And then I go on about my normal day.

Disinfectant? I use one called 'Dettol', it's whatever you have or whatever you prefer.

Update, I am able to squeeze my keloid. It's very solid. Not as sensitive as I thought it'd be. But still sore if it's bumped. Can't lie on it. I was gonna tamper with the rubber bands but I chose not to because I haven't ordered the pressure earring just yet.

Day 4 - where's my hope?

Hello!

I don't know where we are going? I am losing hope. I need some motivation. But here I am sticking it out. Oh dear. What to do... wait it out some more I guess....

I've noticed that it's shrinking. Or is it? well the rubberbands are losing its tightness I can see because they're thicker. But they are also spreading out upwards. Whereas before they were all tightly around the base. I hope something is happening.. The string is too much maintenance for my liking.
No pain. Only pain when bumped. Haven't had a thorough clean just yet because it's not leaking or anything like that.

Updated photo:

Left: taken in the noon time. The Keloid is still visible in the centre.

Middle: Taken in the late afternoon. You can see the keloid has shrunk inside the rubber bands.

Right: A side view in the late afternoon. The Keloid has clearly shrunk.

I'm really hoping this is an express route to having the keloid fall off. I haven't experienced it this way before. This is a good sign to me. We will see as time comes.

I am thinking about removing the rubber bands. Will that be a good idea? It seems like there's an overload on it now.. Then I'd probably put a really tight rubber band on it, or a tight string on it. Who knows. I'll keep you all in the loop.

 

Further update: I was trying to take another picture of it before bed time but couldn't get a good pic. Quality problems. I did examine the keloid closely in the mirror and noticed dried excrement. Its minor enough that my hair doesn't get stuck to it so I'm guessing the base has started to cut. I will leave it for now and will clean it in my shower.

Day 3 - I've lost most feeling

So the stinging has stopped. I have just woken up. My keloid is purple and is completely losing its flesh tone. It doesn't hurt at all when it's just chilling there. Of course when it's disturbed, you're definitely gonna feel something lol.

This is the Keloid in the night before on the left, and what it looks like now in the afternoon.

 

As you can see there is a drastic change. This is a good sign. The Keloid is suffocating and losing life. The aim is to get it off period. Although this is my second time round doing this rubber band method (Yes, it grew back) I understand that it won't be the exact same as my journey last time, so I will have to be patient. I got to admit though, that I was comparing before, judging if it were going faster or slower, but I shouldn't be. The same with how you shouldn't compare your journey with somebody else's. The aim is to get it to drop off, no matter how long the journey (:

You can see around my ear is getting red. I'm not worrying too much about it. My Keloid hasn't leaked any fluids just yet. Cleaning hasn't happened. Just a quick rinse while in the shower is all it's had so far. So far so good. Now it's just the waiting game.

I really do hope it falls off on its own without having to use string.. The tightening process is such a drag...

New update: So here it is at night. One from the front view and the other a side view. Now it's the waiting game... Tick tock tick tock.

 

I really do hope it manages to come off on its own because I really don't want to use thread.. But I will have to if I feel the need to.
It is currently the holidays and I am hoping this comes off before school starts back up.

Day 1 & 2 - Rubber bands of doom!

It's been fifteen minutes since I've put on my rubber bands and the throb has started. I can only imagine that it can get worse than this. The time is 10.16pm and I feel this is the best time to do it for me because I am currently on holiday (So I am mostly at home, being comfortable) and because I am about to go to sleep. I will be sleeping through the most painful parts of the process.

I can feel the pain, it is sore. Because this is my second time doing this, I know what to expect. I have tied on more bands. a combination of plastic elastic and rubber bands. I probably have 5-7 in total on my ear right now. Last time I had only put on two plastic elastics. I'm hoping to speed up the process this time round. I have a good feeling about this.
Last time it took a while for it to turn a lil purple, but it's changing colour very quickly. I might just call it a night now to make the pain go awayyyy.

See you in the morn.

 

 [Left, taken 15 minutes after rubber band application. Right, taken the next morning]

Before I did fall asleep last night. I was in tremendous pain! Even though it is only on a small portion of my body, that little bit was in excruciating pain! No pain, no gain. This morning it has a sting to it. Very bearable tho. Can't wait for this to be over.

Update photos of it at noon and evening. The pictures don't capture the change well, but it has gone more purple. Looking forward to a black dead keloid.