Master the HOSA Pathophysiology Integumentary Challenge 2026 – Skin Your Way to Success!

A keloid is a type of raised scar that forms when the body produces an excess of collagen during the healing process after an injury, surgery, or trauma to the skin. Keloids extend beyond the original boundaries of the wound and can continue to grow long after the initial injury has healed. This excessive healing response can cause the scar tissue to become raised, thick, and sometimes painful or itchy.

Keloids are more common in individuals with darker skin tones and can occur anywhere on the body. They differ from regular scars in both appearance and the way they respond to treatment, often requiring more specialized methods for management and removal.

In contrast, an epidermal cyst is a closed sac beneath the skin filled with keratin; keratoacanthoma is a skin lesion that resembles squamous cell carcinoma; and acrochordon, commonly known as a skin tag, is a benign growth that does not result from an overactive healing response. Understanding the characteristics and definitions of these terms helps clarify why a keloid specifically describes a raised scar resulting from excessive healing.