Thank you for visiting my website. My name is Doctor Michael Tirgan. I am a cancer specialist with special interest in treatment of keloid disorder. My medical practice is now almost exclusively dedicated to treatment of patients with keloid; and research in this disease.

I have a special interest in hard to treat keloids, that is when other physicians simply cannot and don't have anything else to offer. Often times, keloids relapse after surgival removal and other treatments. Relapse after surgery is very common. Keloids often do not respond to simple steroid injections. Although keloids are benign skin tumors, in many ways, they mimic and behave like cancerous tumors. In treating keloids, I often use algorithms and principals that apply to treating cancers.

Causes of Keloid formation and why is it that some people are prone to develop keloids and some are not, are not known. Keloid often run in families. We still don't know the genetic abnormality that causes this phenomenon. African Americans and Asians are more prone to and develop keloids. Keloids can form as a result of a variety of injuries to the skin, among which are:

• Skin burns
• Acne
• Chicken Pox
• Ear Piercing
• Scratches
• Surgical Cuts
• Vaccination Site

Although keloid is a benign and non-cancerous skin tumor, it often behaves like a cancer. Keloids tend to grow back after surgery; they often spread to the neighboring skin; and at times nothing can stop their growth. When we look at keloids at a cellular level, we can find several dysregulated molecular pathways. Same dysregulated molecular pathways are also found in cancers. We still don't know why and how this dysregulation happens and what triggers it. As for treatment, we treat keloids with modalities that we treat cancers. Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy are three very commonly used methods of treating cancers. We use the same set of treatments for keloids.

Keloid negatively impacts every patient's quality of life. This impact is more often psychological, and at times physical. Patients who have keloids in visible parts of their body may experience stigmatization, which is often more important to them than the physical disease itself. They may feel being excluded from full social acceptance in their immediate network of peers. For many patients, simple activities such as going to gym or wearing a bathing suit to swim is a taboo, as they do not wish anyone to notice their keloids. The list of limitations placed on patients due to this simple benign skin condition is endless.

As a board certified medical oncologist (cancer specialist), I have dedicated much of my professional time to research in keloid and treatment of patients with this disease. I see patients with all kinds of keloids. My approach to treating patients who have keloid is to provide individualized treatment to each patient that meets their unique circumstances and provides them the best chance of seeing results. I often see patients whose keloids have progressed despite all other treatments, or patients who cannot find anyone in their locality to provide them with adequate keloid treatments.

I welcome questions from patients who have keloid. If you have a specific question about your keloid, you can e mail me at DrTirgan@keloid212.com. Please include high resolution images of your keloid.