Efficacy and Safety of Contact Cryosurgery in the Treatment of Earlobe Keloids.

Earlobe keloids, although not a life-threatening disease, can severely impair a patient's quality of life. Contact cryosurgery is a safe technique for the management of earlobe keloids with tolerable side effects. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of contact cryosurgery in the treatment of earlobe keloids through a 1-year prospective study. We treated 15 Caucasian women ranging in age from 8 to 54 years with a total of 18 earlobe keloids. Excellent improvement was noted in 11 earlobe keloids, with a 75%-100% reduction in the volume of the keloids. An improvement ranging from 50% to 75% was observed in the seven other earlobe keloids. During the 18-month follow-up period, there was no evidence of bleeding, infection, recurrence, or permanent hypopigmentation. Two patients had a transient hypopigmentation which disappeared 2 months after the final session of contact cryosurgery. The results of our study highly encourage the use of contact cryosurgery which has tolerable side effects and high safety.