Ear lobe keloids, surgical excision followed by radiation therapy: a 10-year experience

This retrospective study was conducted to analyze the recurrence of ear lobe keloids in 36 patients after surgical excision followed by radiation therapy. In all the cases keloids were excised and the surgical wound closed primarily. Following surgery, patients underwent 1800 cGy of radiation therapy in three equally divided doses over five to seven days. Most of our patients were young black females who developed keloids secondary to ear lobe piercing. Of the 36 patients followed for a mean period of 5.6 years, we noted only one (2.8%) recurrence. All the patients were followed for a minimum of two years. No serious complications were observed in our series. However, one patient developed radiation dermatitis followed by patchy hypopigmentation. We conclude that surgical excision followed by radiation therapy is a safe and effective method to control keloid recurrence in the ear lobe region.