keloid

Term: keloid

Literally meaning :like cloven hoof or crab claw because of the way that keloid grows sideways into the normal skin.

Origin: Anc Greek

χηλή/cheli(=cloven hoof) >χείλος/kelos(=lips)

+είδος/edos(=type, kind, form)

Coined/History

The earliest mention of a the term is found in the Edwin Smith papyrus, Egypt ca. 1700 BC. The term was finally coined by French dermatologist Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert (1768 –1837) in 1806 as “chéloïde”.

Definition

Keloid is an overgrowth of tissue in a scar at the site of edges of a wound characterized by excessive collagen or glycoprotein deposition around it.