Zimmer splintage: a simple effective treatment for keloids following ear-piercing

Abstract

An auricular keloid occurring following ear-piercing remains a difficult condition to treat. Various treatments have been described, with different reported degrees of success. Pressure therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for auricular keloids, although the devices used have not all been universally accepted. We assessed 30 patients, between 1989 and 1999, who had been fitted with pressure devices made from Zimmer splints. There was a 50% or greater reduction in the size of each keloid when assessed at 1 year. Zimmer splints are cheap, readily available, easily moulded to fit the patient and can be decorated so that they can be worn as earrings.