Remarkable efficiency of surgical shave excision of keloids followed by intralesional injection of Bleomycin. A retrospective study of 314 cases.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of a keloid treatment consisting of intradermal surgical shave excision followed by intralesional injections of Bleomycin. A retrospective study performed in the Department of Dermatology, CHU UCL Namur Sainte Elisabeth Clinic, Belgium between 2018 and 2019, on 314 patients with keloids-average age: 32 years (range 19-62). Patients were treated first by surgical shave excision and then after reepithelialization, monthly Bleomycin injections were used until the itching and/or pain ceased and the keloid disappeared. The satisfaction index based on Vancouver Scar Scale on the 314 patients was as follows: 87% of the patients were very satisfied with complete flattening (276 patients), 11% were moderated satisfied with significant flattening (32 patients), and 2% show recurrences (6 patients). Pain and itching disappear totally (100% of patients) based on Visual Analogue Scale. The absence of recurrence within 24 months of the last injection, leads us to believe that this can be a first choice and low-cost treatment, whatever the phototype and the size of the lesion. This treatment can be given in all regions of the world, including in non-industrialized or developing countries.