Advances in diagnostic methods for keloids and biomarker-targeted fluorescent probes.

A keloid is a type of unusually raised scar. Unlike other raised scars, keloids form larger sizes than the wound site due to overgrowth, generally related to various biological factors. To date, only a few diagnostic and therapeutic methods for keloids have been reported. The high recurrence rates and undesirable side effects of keloids, at the end stage, encourage the invention of novel diagnostic tools, in order to cure keloids at an earlier stage. In this review, we summarize the general information about keloid diagnosis, keloid biomarkers, and recently reported fluorescent probes that can sense the key biomarkers of keloids. The focused description of fluorescent probes for keloid biomarkers and the author's perspective give useful insights in order to design the next-generation diagnostic sensing system for keloids.