Treatment of Keloid Scars by Botulinum Toxin - Abstract
Keloid scars are behind an invalidating aesthetic and functional problem for
patients as well as pain, and the treatments currently used do not result in total,
consistent resolution of this problem. Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) through its antiinflammatory and antalgic action and its effect on muscular fibres, has an action on
these pathological scars. We first treated retro-auricular post otoplasty keloid scarring
by injecting type A Botulinum toxin in a 14-year old patient resistant to corticosteroid
injections. Both ears were affected. This first patient was injected for 3 years, every 3
months. The treatment on the left ear was only BoNT-A, and on the right was BoNT-A
and surgical reduction. After the very encouraging result of this case, we injected
16 other patients. Two were lost to follow-up. For the others, the results on pain
and aesthetic appearance are good to very good. Of course, further randomisedcontrolled studies are required to confirm the present results so that the treatment can
become more widespread.