Keloid treatment in Dubai: what flattens a keloid and how to stop it coming back

A keloid usually starts with a small injury, such as an ear piercing, an acne spot on the jaw or a cut on the chest, and keeps growing for months or years into a firm, shiny lump that can itch or ache. The NHS lists South Asian, Chinese and Black African or Caribbean heritage among the main risk factors, which describes a large part of the UAE's population.

Many Dubai clinic pages promise "permanent" removal. In reality keloids can usually be flattened, but they return often enough that the plan for the months after treatment matters as much as the treatment itself.

Keloid or hypertrophic scar: how do doctors tell them apart?

A keloid spreads beyond the edges of the original wound and does not fade on its own, while a hypertrophic scar stays within the wound's borders and may flatten over time. Both are raised scars made of excess collagen. Hypertrophic scars usually appear within weeks of an injury and may settle over time, helped by silicone and pressure. Keloids can appear months or years later, tend to keep growing and often return after treatment. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says a dermatologist can usually diagnose a keloid by looking at it.

When a "keloid" needs a biopsy. Several growths can look like a keloid, including dermatofibroma, a slow-growing skin cancer called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and squamous cell carcinoma, and DermNet advises a biopsy whenever the diagnosis is uncertain. Ask about one before anyone injects or freezes a lump that appeared without any injury you remember, grows over weeks rather than months, bleeds or breaks down into a sore, or keeps growing despite treatment.

Our guide to mole and skin tag removal in Dubai explains the same send-it-to-the-lab logic for moles. Pitted acne scars are a separate problem, covered in our guide on how to get rid of acne scars in Dubai.

Who gets keloids, and where do they form?

Keloids are most common between the ages of about 10 and 30, in darker skin, and in people who have had one before or whose relatives get them. The NHS lists South Asian, Chinese, African Caribbean or Black African origin, age 10 to 30, pregnancy and a previous keloid as risk factors, and the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) adds that keloids run in families. DermNet notes they are more common in Fitzpatrick skin types III to VI.

The NHS names the chest, shoulders, chin, neck, lower legs and ears as the usual sites. Three patterns matter most:

• Earlobe keloids follow piercings, usually as a round, firm lump. They are usually the best suited to surgery, because the lobe can be cut out cleanly and compressed afterwards.
• Chest, shoulder and upper back keloids follow acne, cuts or minor surgery and often grow wide. DermNet warns that excision alone may cause a larger keloid to recur.
• Jaw and chin keloids often follow acne, which is why the NHS advises keloid-prone people to get acne treated early.

Keloids are harmless but not always just cosmetic: the NHS notes they can itch or hurt while growing and, near a joint, restrict movement.

What is the best keloid treatment? It depends on the scar

No single treatment works best for every keloid, so doctors combine them and choose by the keloid's size, site and history. The BAD says there is no cure and no single treatment proven better than the others, and a 2023 systematic review of 108 prospective studies with 4,552 people found them too small and varied to pool. The evidence does support an order: silicone and steroid injections first, combination injections next, and surgery only with a plan to stop regrowth.

Steroid injections and 5-FU: the first-line treatment

Injecting a steroid into the keloid is the standard first treatment, and over several sessions it flattens most keloids at least partly. The drug is usually triamcinolone acetonide, sold as Kenalog among other brands, at 10 to 40 mg/mL depending on the keloid's size and site. Published protocols repeat it every 3 to 8 weeks, and the BAD describes monthly injections over 4 to 6 months.

The AAD reports that 50% to 80% of keloids shrink after injections. Durability is the weak point: a 2018 review puts recurrence after injections alone at 33% after one year and 50% after five, so treat injections as control rather than a cure, with a top-up if the keloid thickens again. The same review notes the injections often need a local anaesthetic, so ask how the clinic numbs the area.

Adding 5-fluorouracil. 5-FU is an anti-cancer drug used in small doses to slow the cells that build scar collagen. In a 2026 network meta-analysis of 51 studies and 3,234 people, a steroid plus 5-FU shrank keloids significantly more than a steroid alone, although no treatment clearly lowered recurrence compared with the others. Used alone in one trial, 5-FU caused pain in 95% of patients against 4% with steroid, and darkening in 90% against 12.5%, and the 2018 review found the combination worked better, with fewer side effects, than either drug alone.

Can keloids be removed without surgery?

Usually they can be flattened and softened without surgery, but large keloids rarely disappear and regrowth is common. The NHS puts it plainly: you cannot get rid of a keloid scar, but treatments can improve how it looks. Beyond injections, the options are:

• Cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen freezes the keloid from the surface or, in intralesional cryotherapy, through a probe inside it. The AAD says it works best on small keloids and over three or more sessions. In a trial of 66 people, 83.9% of keloids flattened completely with intralesional freezing against 48.5% with surface freezing, though in stubborn keloids it did worse than excision with steroid or radiotherapy. The AAD warns it can leave a permanent light spot on brown or Black skin.
• Laser. Pulsed dye lasers target redness, while fractional CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers work on thickness. The AAD says laser can lower a keloid's height and fade its colour and is usually combined with injections, and a 2018 review found laser alone has a high recurrence rate within 6 to 24 months. Our page on laser skin resurfacing in Dubai covers the pigment risk of fractional CO2 on darker skin.
• Silicone gel and sheets. The 2023 systematic review backs silicone with steroid injections as first-line treatment. Use it on healed skin only, 12 to 24 hours a day for at least 8 to 12 weeks, as DermNet advises. One UAE online pharmacy listed a 15 g tube of Dermatix silicone gel at AED 150 in October 2026. If sheets will not stay on in the summer heat, ask the doctor about a gel.
• Pressure. Clips, garments and pressure earrings help particularly on the earlobe and torso, the BAD says, mostly after surgery.
• Emerging injections. The BAD leaflet lists botulinum toxin and bleomycin injections, along with 5-FU, as experimental options not routinely available in the UK. Verapamil was generally weaker than steroid in the 2023 review and botulinum toxin results were mixed, though both had fewer side effects than steroid in the 2026 analysis.

How do doctors remove keloids with surgery?

Surgeons cut the keloid out under local anaesthetic and close the wound with minimal tension, but excision only works when a treatment to stop regrowth follows straight away. A 2026 systematic review of 21 studies puts recurrence after excision alone at 45% to 100%, and the NHS does not usually recommend surgery alone because the keloid may come back bigger. With follow-up treatment, the same review reported:

• Steroid injections during or after surgery: 6.6% to 33% recurrence. In one series of 684 patients, injections started after surgery did best.
• Pressure, mainly for ears: 10.66% and 14% in the studies reviewed.
• Radiotherapy: 3.1% to 15% with brachytherapy, where the radiation source sits in the wound, and 14% to 29.3% with external radiotherapy. The 2023 review suggests 16 to 20 Gy started within 24 hours of surgery for keloids that resisted other treatment. The AAD and BAD note a small long-term skin cancer risk, so ask who delivers it and where.

Earlobe keloids are the best case for surgery. Standard excision alone recurred in 60% of patients in one small study, against about 15% with excision plus steroid injections in a 2016 meta-analysis and 10.66% with surgery plus a pressure earring in a 2024 meta-analysis of 2,281 ear keloids. The AAD advises wearing the pressure device 12 to 20 hours a day for several months.

Chest and shoulder keloids are harder. They are often wide, the skin stretches with every breath and arm movement, and a new surgical wound there is exactly the injury keloid-prone skin overreacts to. Doctors usually inject them first and keep excision, often with radiotherapy, for keloids that keep growing anyway.

What to expect over a keloid treatment course

Plan in months, not sessions: active treatment usually runs for 4 to 6 months, followed by check-ups for at least a year. The NHS notes that early treatment may help stop a keloid growing, so the best time to start is while it is small.

The realistic end point is a flatter, softer scar rather than normal skin. If a clinic shows before and after photos taken weeks apart, ask how those keloids looked a year later.

How much does keloid removal cost in Dubai, and will insurance pay?

Published Dubai prices in October 2026 start at about AED 500 to 800 for an injection session on a small keloid and reach AED 3,000 to 8,000 for excision, before consultation and follow-up. They come from the price pages of Dubai clinics that rank for keloid treatment, several of which contradicted themselves, so treat them as starting points.

The course matters more than the session price. Two worked examples using the published ranges (planning arithmetic, not quotes):

• A small earlobe or chest keloid treated with injections: one consultation plus 3 to 6 sessions at AED 600 to 1,500 comes to roughly AED 2,000 to 9,600.
• An earlobe keloid cut out and then injected: consultation, excision at AED 3,000 to 8,000 and 2 to 4 follow-up injections comes to roughly AED 4,500 to 14,600, plus pressure earrings and silicone.

Ask if a price is per session, per keloid or per syringe, and if the consultation and follow-up are included. In Abu Dhabi, one clinic advertised non-surgical keloid treatment from AED 1,000. We found no hospital that publishes keloid prices.

Insurance. Dubai's Essential Benefits Plan, the basic level of cover defined by the DHA, excludes all cosmetic healthcare services. Its wording keeps cover, though, for cosmetic operations related to an injury, sickness or congenital anomaly when the primary purpose is to improve how that part of the body functions. A keloid treated because it hurts, itches or limits movement near a joint has a reasonable case; one treated only for its look is likely to be self-pay. Other plans and emirates set their own terms, so ask the clinic to request pre-approval and to record your symptoms.

How keloid-prone people can prevent a new keloid

If you or a close relative has had a keloid, the best prevention is to avoid skin injuries you do not need and to treat any new scar early. The NHS advises keloid-prone people to avoid tattoos and piercings, and the BAD adds non-essential surgery, especially on the chest and earlobes.

• Piercings. The safest choice is not to pierce. If you do, take the earring out at the first sign of thickening and see a dermatologist promptly.
• Surgery. Before any operation, including a caesarean section or a mole removal, tell the surgeon about your keloid history and ask how the scar will be managed. DermNet lists minimal-tension closure and few stitches as preventive steps. A purely cosmetic mole on the chest may be better left alone.
• New scars. Start silicone once the skin has closed, wear it daily for at least 8 to 12 weeks, and book a review as soon as the scar rises or itches.
• Acne. The NHS advises treating acne early to limit scarring; our guide on how to get rid of acne in Dubai sets out the medical options.
• Aesthetic treatments. Mention a keloid history before resurfacing, microneedling or injectables, which injure the skin on purpose.

Dermatologist or plastic surgeon? Licensing and questions to ask

Start with a dermatologist, who can confirm the diagnosis and give injections, cryotherapy and laser; bring in a plastic surgeon when a keloid needs cutting out and the closure shapes the result, as on the earlobe or face. Radiotherapy, if needed, is planned with a radiation specialist. What matters is that one doctor owns the whole plan, including what happens after surgery.

That doctor should hold a licence and work in a licensed facility: the DHA in mainland Dubai, the DHCR in Dubai Healthcare City, the DOH in Abu Dhabi, MOHAP in the northern emirates, and Sharjah's own health authority. Steroid and 5-FU are prescription medicines, so salons and home-visit services should not offer them. Check the clinic and the doctor on the right register, and see our guide to aesthetic clinic red flags in Dubai; a promise of permanent removal is one. Then ask:

• Is this definitely a keloid? Does anything about it need a biopsy?
• Which treatment do you suggest first, and why for this site?
• Which drug and concentration will you inject, and how will you protect the skin around it on my skin tone?
• How many sessions do you expect, and what will the full course cost?
• If you cut it out, what happens straight afterwards, and who provides each part?
• What recurrence rate do you expect, and what is the plan if it comes back?
• What are the facility's DHA, DOH or MOHAP licence number and the doctor's licence details?

If you would rather not work this out alone, tell us where the keloid is and which emirate you live in, and we will match you with licensed doctors who quote the full course.