Keenan first developed a keloid scar after he had the chickenpox when he was 9 years old. He had the keloid removed, but months later, others formed. In the past 20 years. Keenan has had seven surgeries to remove large keloid scars from his face.
“Every time that I had them removed, it was a huge sigh of relief,” Keenan says, “but they grew back so much more enormous and more grotesque than the time before.”
A keloid is an abnormal growth of collagen tissue, which usually forms where the skin is trying to heal from an injury. The tissue grows beyond the origins of the scar and never regresses.
Keenan found a doctor who said he could remove the growths and prevent them from coming back, but he could not afford the astronomical cost. Frustrated but determined, Keenan created a video asking for help and posted it on GoFundMe. The response was overwhelming.
Keenan joins The Doctors and reveals that there’s still an obstacle standing in his way of the surgery – his diabetes. Keenan’s blood-sugar levels are so high that there are concerns about whether he would heal properly after the surgery. His doctor has told him he must significantly lower his blood-sugar level before he can perform the surgery. See how The Doctors and internal medicine physician Jorge Rodriguez offer to help.
- Related: Woman Learns How to Manage Diabetes
Keenan’s doctor, reconstructive plastic surgeon Michael Jones of New York, joins The Doctors to discuss the next step in Keenan’s treatment.
