CURRENT THERAPEUTICS STRATEGIES FOR KELOID MANAGEMENT AND LONG-TERM OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Abstract
Keloids are fibroproliferative scars with a high recurrence rate, posing a challange to their long-term therapy. This systematic review evaluates current therapeutic strategies for keloid management and identifies interventions with the best long-term outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted based on the 2020 PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, ScienceDirect, DOAJ, and Google Scholar for studies published from 2015 to 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series reporting long-term outcomes (≥ 6 months) in patients with keloids. Nineteen studies were indluded in this review. These studies found that multimodal treatment strategies consistently demonstrated superior long-term outcomes compared to monotherapy alone. Surgical excision combined with adjunctive therapies, particularly intralesional corticosteroids, pressure therapy, laser therapy, and radiotherapy, was associated with the lowest recurrence rate and sustained improvement in scar assessment scores. A multimodal approach is considered the most effective strategy for long-term keloid management, with surgical excision followed by appropriate adjuvant therapy providing the most consistent long-term control.
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References
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