They are more likely to develop hypertrophic or thick scars which eventually fade. The difference between these two types of scar is often hard to determine. In some social groups keloids are deliberately produced as a form of ornamentation of the skin. There is a genetic tendency for these to form but the exact pattern is not known. They are more common in patients with dark skin.
Women are more likely to develop heavy scar as are young people under the age of about thirty.
If a foreign body is present in the wound, as may occur after an accident, keloids also seem to be more likely. The treatment of keloid scars is complex and is not always successful. Steroid injections, applications of pressure or silicone sheets, radiation and scar revision surgery are sometimes needed. Unfortunately all scars are permanent and there is no technique to remove them completely. This often means removing the scar and trying to repair it in such a way as to make an improvement in its appearance.