Apple Cider Vinegar for Keloids

5 star (11) 
  52%
4 star (5) 
  24%
3 star (1) 
  5%
1 star (1) 
  5%
(3) 
  14%

Mark (Cincinnati, Oh) on 02/24/2014:
5 out of 5 stars

I had a keloid scar on the back of my ear that developed when I attempted to remove a mole some years ago. The scar grew to about the size of a large pea and was painful and unsightly. As time went on I became more and more self-conscious about it. Even though it was on the back of my ear I was always nervous about it whenever standing in front of people.

After reading a lot of comments about different solutions in removing these types of scars (ACV, rubber bands, tylenol, etc) I tried each one. First I tried tylenol. I ground up a pill with a little bit of water to make a paste and put it on the scar. I did this for about a week and it didn't do anything. Next I tried the rubber band method. This was incredibly painful and I gave up after one day. I even contemplated getting the scar surgically removed but read that scars often come back after surgery.

Lastly I tried Apple Cider Vinegar (organic with the mother). I soaked a cotton ball with the ACV and held it against the scar for about an hour. I was unable to tape the cotton ball to my ear because of the awkward location so I just held it there. Some people have said they had normal skin 'burn' from the ACV but this didn't happen to me. I merely held the cotton ball against the scar. I noticed after a day or 2 the scar started turning a little bit white and opened up a little. Once the scar opened up I could only hold a cotton ball on it for 15-20 minutes at a time because it stung. The stinging was tolerable though and it felt more like it was healing the scar. After another day or two a scab formed. I'm a scab picker so I couldnt resist pulling the scab off. This was a little bit painful as it felt like it was also ripping part of the scar tissue off.

I didn't put ACV/cotton ball on it every single day. In fact, there were times I would go a week without doing it to let the skin heal a little bit. When I would apply the ACV and hold it on my ear it would only be for about 30 minutes. Each time, a new scab would form a couple days later that I would peel off. After a couple of weeks of this I noticed the scar had reduced in size dramatically.

Now the scar is nearly completely flat and just about unnoticeable. It was a virtually pain-free process and I'm so glad to have found such a great remedy. I am even drinking the ACV twice a day with water now. I haven't really noticed much benefits since drinking it but will continue with it. Thanks EC!

REPLY   28      

Amanda (Usa) on 02/09/2014:
4 out of 5 stars

I have a keloid on my cartilage from an ear piercing. It is about the size a bean. I have been using ACV for about a month. Sometimes I forget to use it and I only do it at night. It scabs over and It even gave me a black spot on it. It scabs over and it goes away. It creates holes in the places that I have my cotton ball on the most but, I think it is working. It hasn't gone down much (I'm not too consistent) but it has flattened and changed shaped which makes me believe if I continue it will flatten even better. I'm white so my skin seems to have turned a bit redder but it's not too bad. I cover my ear everyday anyways and if it flattens more I don't care if there is a red spot. Hope this helps someone figure out what to do. Goodluck and post your story even if the reply is late because if you found this someone else will too!! Like me!!
REPLY   2      

Tired Of Keloids (Toronto, Ontario) on 06/09/2013:
4 out of 5 stars

Hi, I am from Toronto. I have had keloid for many years now (abt 5) on my chest. I used ACV for a mth and noticed scabs on it. It did get smaller also. I stopped using it for a bit because around my chest ACV used to burn on my skin. I have started again but don't see much difference. I will try the tylenol thing tonight hopefully it will work.

I am booked for a surgery for this in August where my doctor will shave the keloid but the products that will be used to prevent from coming has been suggested as cancerous later in life.

I am hoping that the suggestions on this page will work.

REPLY         



Marcelopassos (Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) on 04/09/2012:
0 out of 5 stars

Hi, my name is Marcelo and I`m from Brazil. I have a 2x0.5 inch keloid. Last night I applied Apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball and left it on the scar during the night. The next day there were two open wounds on my scar... They scabbed but it got even more red. Should I continue to use the ACV?

Thanks, Marcelo

REPLY         

Julypen (Dubai) on 02/12/2012:
0 out of 5 stars

hi.. I'm julypen.. I am applying ACV on my keloid but it was very painful because ACV create a wound on my keloid.. Could you please advise me if it is normal or I would stop putting ACV on my keloid.. Please thanks:)

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REPLY         

Grim (Chicago, Il) on 01/16/2012:
3 out of 5 stars

Better But With Side Effects

I have a keloid on my right ear its on the front and it is about 1/2 inch. Well I started putting ACV on it about 1 month ago and I could see that it was going down it immediately. It started to pus up and bleed and scab. Now the skin around it is grey and pussing. I am nervous but I am going to keep at it and hopefully by the summertime it will be gone. I will keep you all posted on my results.
REPLY         

Kass (USA) on 11/08/2011:
4 out of 5 stars

Hi, I've been doing the ACV on a scar (I'm not sure if keloid or hypertrophic) but it turned the dark pinky/brown skin thats was on raised part into a scab that fell off in shower and its white underneath. My skin is still raised, I am not sure if I should continue with ACV or not.
REPLY         

John (Overland Park, Ks) on 09/13/2011:
5 out of 5 stars

I read this thread a 4weeks ago coz I have three keloids on my chest.

I'll be as truthful and honest as I can be:- At first I was skeptical about ACV kept asking myself why do Dr. not recommend this, But I took a shot since I tried cortisone injection which I must atest it's expensive and painful to get those injections!!!

I have been applying Organic ACV on two of my Keloid coz the 3rd one is larger(2inches long and 1inches wide).

Results

They're gone!!!

Findings

1) What ACV does it denatures the Epithelial tissue(top skin). It kills it, making it a dead skin therefore it peels off one layer at a time.

Cons

1) Skin irritates for 5min while applying(ACV)

2) Makes the skin really dark i.e. Dark spots are visible.

Application

For me;

Applied every night:- Pour ACV on cotton swab then dress it with Band Aid and slept.

Conclusion

If you got Small keloids use this coz it rips the skin open i.e. like an open wound. I won't recommend this for larger keloid it would be torture.

I am going next week to remove the larger Keloid (3rd keloid) then I monitor it, I might apply ACV on it while its still flat so that it doesnt grow again!!!

I will keep you guys posted. I have pictures from day 1 so I will post them ASAP

REPLY   21      



Deb (Manchester, Uk) on 08/02/2011:
5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to the comments on this site I began using Organic Apple Cider Vinegar on my Keloid scar which is aprox 4cm x 1.5cm on my arm. My scar got to this size from an original keloid (which formed from an injection given to me at school) that I stupidly got surgically removed - this was a huge mistake as it only grew back much bigger. I applied the Apple Cider Vinegar on the scar at night, reapplying once dry then I would dab a bit of cotton wool with ACV and taped it to the scar over night. Some nights I would hold off taping the cotton wool with Apple Cider Vinegar to my arm as it would sometime irritate but I knew the irritation was from the scar being destroyed so I kept at it. Eventually the ACV ate away at the entire keloid scar, amazingly it never destroyed the healthy skin. This took about 3-4 weeks for the Apple Cider Vinegar to break down the keloid, I now have flat pinky skin surrounded by healthy skin so I have stopped using the Apple Cider Vinegar and I am now using natural oils to promote healthy skin to grow.

I have read that some people have similar success with Tea Tree Oil but I only applied this to the area once every morning after a shower. It took about 4/5 days to notice that the ACV was working. It did seem like it was getting worse as the scar would swell and start to pus in different places on the scar but this would scab and fade in the shower.

I tried everything from silicone sheets, scar removal surgery, laser treatment, steroid injections and expensive topical creams nothing worked, the injection helped to flatten but eventually the keloid would grow and expand a bit. I lived a life of wearing silicon sheets every night just to prevent it from growing any further. Nothing has been able to get rid of my keloid. I have always heard stories of people with keloids on ear lobes/nose being able to tie thread around the keloid to eventually cut of the blood supply leading to the keloid dropping off but I couldn't do that because my scar was on my arm - impossible to tie anything around that. I thank God that I stumbled across this website and discovered how others were using ACV, I only wish I discovered this earlier in my life!!!

REPLY   10      

Michelle (Berkeley, California) on 02/21/2010:
5 out of 5 stars

I have been using ACV on a keloid scar that formed 13 years ago after surgery. I had no idea it could be removed until reading the comments on this site.

It was about 4 inches long and a good inch wide, very thick and lumpy. After more than a year of applying ACV on a cotton ball to it over night, it is nearly gone.

At times the ACV irritated my skin. In that case, I let up at night and dabbed ACV on it 3-5 times during the day. A scab would form that would exfoliate off in the shower. The cycle repeated until the scar got smaller and smaller. My skin was more irritated from the tape holding the cotton ball than from the ACV.

I waited this long to post because I feared the scar would somehow reappear. Happy to say, it is 90% gone.

I tried silicon sheets, over the counter scar treatments, and nothing was effective. ACV works, but you must be diligent in applying it every night or daily. I would have preferred something that worked quicker, but after living with the scar for 13 years, what was one more year.

REPLY   5      
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