Compression Therapy for Keloid Scars: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Plastic Surgery
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Keloid scars present a significant clinical challenge with diverse treatment outcomes.
• Surgical excision is a common approach, but recurrence remains high.
• Compression therapies are frequently employed post-excision to mitigate keloid recurrence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy of different compression therapies following surgical excision of keloid scars.
• To compare recurrence rates associated with various compression modalities.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Reviews.
• Keywords included "keloid" and "compression."
• Inclusion criteria focused on keloid lesions and the use of any compression therapy post-surgery.

Main Results:

• Twenty-seven articles were analyzed, categorizing treatments into three groups: surgical excision with compression earrings, surgical excision with silicone gel sheeting, and surgical excision with both.
• The combination of surgical excision, compression earrings, and silicone gel sheeting demonstrated the lowest recurrence rate.
• However, the observed differences in recurrence rates among the three treatment modalities were not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• The current evidence base is limited by small sample sizes across treatment groups.
• Further high-quality studies with larger patient cohorts are essential to definitively determine the most effective compression therapy for preventing keloid recurrence.
• Robust research is needed to guide clinical practice in keloid scar management.