Quality of life of patients with keloid and hypertrophic scarring

Keloid and hypertrophic scarring represent chronic disfiguring dermatoses with a high resistance to therapy. The aim of our study was to assess for the first time the quality of life of patients with hypertrophic scars and keloids, because they suffer from quality of life impairment as much as patients with other chronic skin diseases. An item-pool was created modifying and supplementing the items of the Questionnaire on Experience with Skin Complaints. This questionnaire was distributed to 100 outpatients with keloids and hypertrophic scars. A factor analysis was used to identify the underlying dimensions. Two scales (psychological and physical impairment) of the questionnaire with nine and five items, respectively, were established. Test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was excellent (corr > 0.9). Good validity was suggested by the correlation of physical impairment with pain (P < or = 0.001), pruritus (P < 0.001), and the amount of restriction of mobility (P < 0.001). The psychological scale was associated with pain and restriction of mobility, although the correlations were lower. This study demonstrates for the first time an impairment of quality of life in a large group of patients with keloid and hypertrophic scarring.