What is the Difference Between Granuloma and Keloid

The key difference between granuloma and keloid is that a granuloma appears as a raised, reddish spot, while a keloid appears as a raised scar.

Granuloma and keloid are two conditions that commonly occur due to skin injury or trauma. They are very common after piercing. Normally, piercing causes bumps and swellings. They can form soon after the initial piercing or after it is healed. If a bump is present after initial swelling subsides in piercing, it can be a pustule, a granuloma, or a keloid. Moreover, granuloma and keloid usually disappear after proper treatments.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Granuloma
3. What is Keloid
4. Similarities – Granuloma and Keloid
5. Granuloma vs Keloid in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Granuloma vs Keloid

What is Granuloma?

Granuloma is a medical condition that appears as a raised and reddish spot. It is an aggregation of macrophages that forms in response to chronic inflammation. It is also a mechanism of the immune system to isolate and eliminate foreign agents. These foreign agents include bacteria, fungi, and other materials such as foreign objects, keratin, and suture fragments. However, granulomas are not cancerous. They can occur in different places in the body, including skin, eyes, fingers, lungs, gut, blood vessels, etc. The symptoms of granuloma may include a raised, reddish spot, swelling, and scarring. The risk factors for granulomas are piercing, animal or insect bites, infections such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, diseases like sarcoidosis, Crohn’s disease, vaccination, sun exposure, minor skin injuries, and certain drugs.

Granuloma and Keloid - Side by Side Comparison

Figure 01: Granuloma

Granuloma is usually diagnosed through a physical examination. The other tests may include clinical evaluations, blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, genetic tests, and needle biopsies. Furthermore, treatment options may include corticosteroid creams and injections, freezing (cryotherapy), light therapy (psoralen with ultraviolet A light (PUVA), oral medications (antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drugs), laser therapy, and vitamin E tablets.

What is Keloid?

Keloid is a medical condition that appears as a thick raised scar. Normally, a keloid scar can form within months to a year after the injury. The signs and symptoms of keloid scars include thick irregular scarring on earlobes, shoulders, cheeks, or chest, reddish brown or purplish colour, shiny, hairless, raised lumps in the skin, raised lumps that vary in size (small to large) and texture (soft to firm or rubbery), itchiness, and discomfort. A keloid scar is produced due to a dysfunction of the wound-healing process. This is actually due to excess collagen in the human body. The risk factors for keloid scar may include having brown or black skin, having a personal or family history of keloid scars, being under 30, insect bites, acne, an injection, body piercing, burns, hair removal, minor scratches, and bumps.

Figure 02: Keloid

Keloid scars can be diagnosed through physical or clinical examination and skin biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for keloid scar include wound care, corticosteroid scar, corticosteroid injections, freezing, laser therapy, radiation therapy, surgical removal, and alternative medicine (onion extract taken orally or applied on the skin).

What are the Similarities Between Granuloma and Keloid?

Granuloma and keloid are two conditions that commonly occur due to skin injury or trauma.
Both are not cancerous (benign).
They are very common after piercing.
Both can be diagnosed through physical examination and skin biopsy.
They can be treated by applying specific medicine, corticosteroids, and laser therapy.
Both usually disappear after proper treatments.

What is the Difference Between Granuloma and Keloid?

Granuloma appears as a raised, reddish spot, while keloid appears as a raised scar. Thus, this is the key difference between granuloma and keloid. Furthermore, the risk factors for granuloma are piercing, animal or insect bites, infections such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, diseases like sarcoidosis, Crohn’s disease, vaccination, sun exposure, minor skin injuries, and certain drugs. On the other hand, the risk factors for keloid scars include having brown or black skin, having a personal or family history of keloid scars, being under 30, insect bite, acne, an injection, body piercing, burns, hair removal, minor scratches, and bumps.

The following table summarizes the difference between granuloma and keloid.

Summary – Granuloma vs Keloid

Granuloma and keloid are two conditions that commonly occur due to minor skin injury or trauma. Granuloma is a medical condition that appears as a raised, reddish spot, while keloid is a medical condition that appears as a raised scar. So, this is the key difference between granuloma and keloid. They are very common after body piercing. Both these conditions are not causing any life-threatening complications and usually disappear after proper treatments.

Reference:

1. “Granulomas.” Healthdirect.
2.“Keloid Scar.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Pulmonary tuberculosis – Non-necrotizing granuloma (6545183785)” By Yale Rosen from USA – Pulmonary tuberculosis – Non-necrotizing granulomaUploaded by CFCF (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Keloid” By Michael Rodger – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia