The Raised Line

Columnist · Editorial staff

Katarina Mbeki

Reports on safety, side effects, and informed consent in keloid scar treatment.

4 stories by Katarina Mbeki

Close-up of a tattoo artist's gloved hands and machine working near a client's shoulder in a clean modern studioField Notes

Tattoos and piercings when you are keloid-prone: making the risk decision

Any break in the skin can trigger a keloid, so cosmetic procedures are a real decision, not a given.

· 6 min · Katarina Mbeki

A dermatologist's gloved hands using a fine syringe to inject a small raised scar on a patient's forearm in a bright clinicDispatch

Fluorouracil (5-FU) injections: a second-line option for stubborn keloids

When steroids alone stall a keloid, adding 5-fluorouracil often gets it moving again.

· 6 min · Katarina Mbeki

A clinician applying a liquid nitrogen cryotherapy probe to a small raised scar while wearing gloves in a clinicDispatch

Cryotherapy for keloids: freezing the scar, and its trade-offs

Cryotherapy freezes keloid tissue to shrink it, and it works best in combination.

· 5 min · Katarina Mbeki

Macro close-up of a smooth raised keloid scar on a person's shoulder in soft daylightField Notes

What is a keloid, and how is it different from a scar?

Keloids grow beyond the original wound, and that one fact changes treatment.

· 6 min · Katarina Mbeki

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