THE TREATMENT OF KELOIDS WITH INTRALESION AL BLEOMYCIN

Introduction : Treatment of keloids is often disappointing and sometim e quite difficult to manage. In addition to unpleasent esthetic effect s, treatment may also produce functional impairment due to pruritis an d contraction of the scar tissue. Patients and methods: We proposed a new treatment scheme using intralesional infiltrations of bleomycin. R esults : We treated 31 keloids and 5 hypertrophic scars with 3 to 5 in filtrations within a 1-month period. Total regression was obtained in 25 keloids and hypertrophic scars. Important regression was obtained i n 6 keloids (86 % good results). Treatment was effective in all cases within the first 2 infiltrations evidenced by a reduction in the volum e of the kheloid and clear reduction of functional impairment in most patients. Conclusion: Effective well-tolerated treatment without pain was achieved with infiltration suggesting that this treatment should b e used as first line therapy for keloids.