Abstract

Background. Keloid scars negatively impact patients’ physical and mental well-being, causing pain and itching. Several methods exist for treating keloids by modulating and improving scar characteristics. Purpose. To investigate and compare the effects of cryotherapy and corticosteroid phonophoresis on patients with keloid scars. Methods. This was a randomized clinical trial. Sixty patients, both male (28) and female (32), with keloid scars were divided into two equal groups. Group A received cryotherapy for 12 weeks (n=30), while Group B underwent corticosteroid phonophoresis for the same duration (n=30). Assessments were made pre-treatment, after 6 weeks, and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results. Post-treatment comparisons between the two groups revealed statistically significant reductions in VSS at both 6 weeks and 12 weeks in favor of Group A (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Cryotherapy demonstrated a significantly greater positive impact on scar measurements in patients with keloid scars than corticosteroid phonophoresis.

Keywords: cryotherapy, phonophoresis, keloid scars