RAPA-Keloid Study of Keloid Regression

This pilot trial will use daily 0.5-1.0 ml applications of 8% RAPA (Rapamycin) in a petrolatum vehicle to treat established keloid lesions in 5 persons with at least 2 chronic keloids in similar body regions (greater than 1-year duration). Treatment will be applied once daily for 6 months. One keloid will receive 8% RAPA ointment and the other keloid will receive petrolatum-only ointment as a control. Surface areas and height of keloids will be monitored pre- and post-treatment to evaluate responses. Keloid surface area and height changes will be measured pre-treatment and thereafter on a monthly basis using standardized digital photography with a tripod-mounted 8MP Canon S5is camera and calipers to measure keloid height (37). Surface areas of all photographed lesions will be measured with Image J (http://rsbweb.nih.gov/ij/index.html), a public image-processing program that was used to analyze preliminary data and this study will use the same approach.