When you first notice Isaiah Griffin from Wichita, Kansas, you would probably guess that with his broad shoulders, his massive arms and slim waist that he's a bodybuilder and you'd be right. But you'd never guess what caused this handsome young man to depressed until he takes off his shirt and see his "web-like" keloid scars.
Griffin first noticed his keloid, a benign growth caused when the body over heals itself, on his leg during his teen years.
"When I was 17, 18, I developed this condition called keloids," explains Griffin to Great Big Story. "Basically, when your body over-heals itself."
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The condition gave Isaiah extremely low self-esteem, to the point where he didn't even want to look at his own reflection in the mirror.
“There was a point where I had to turn off the lights because every time I looked at myself in the mirror I wouldn’t like what I saw," Griffin tells Barcroft.tv.
But bodybuilding actually helped him regain his confidence again and taught him a valuable lesson that he shares with others every day.
Isaiah continued, “It started as bumps that would burst open and look like regular acne, but then they started to connect and look like a web on my chest."
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“I thought it was just a cyst and I was okay with it. I didn’t think too much of it until they started to connect around my chest.
“It hit me to a point where I kind of stopped being myself. I was really scared about what people would say and what people would think. So I would hide in like a shell.”
A keloid (key-loid) is a type of raised scar. Unlike other raised scars, keloids grow much larger than the wound that caused the scar.
Not everyone who gets a scar will develop a keloid. If you have keloid-prone skin, however, anything that can cause a scar may lead to a keloid. This includes a cut, burn, or severe acne. Some people see a keloid after they pierce their ears or get a tattoo. A keloid can also form as chickenpox clear. Sometimes, a surgical scar becomes a keloid.
In very rare cases, keloids form when people do not injure their skin. These are called “spontaneous keloids” like in Isaiah's case.
The size and shape of keloids vary. On an earlobe, you’ll likely see a round, solid mass. When a keloid forms on a shoulder or the chest, the raised scar tends to spread out across the skin. It often looks like a liquid spilled on the skin and then hardened.
As these raised scars grow, they may feel painful or itchy. A keloid that covers a joint or large area can decrease a person’s ability to move that part of the body.
While his keloids continued to grow, Isaiah's passion for lifting weights grew as well and pushed him to show off his muscular physique by competing in bodybuilding competitions. He won third place in his very first one.
Isaiah said: “At my first show I don’t think I was nervous. I was just ready. I was really just ready to get on stage and get it done. When I achieved it, it was overwhelming.
“Bodybuilding changed my life to where I can feel good about myself, increase my...
... confidence in myself, be proud of who I am and really start to see who I am and not what happened to me and not let that stop me.”
“I recently competed in 2017 for the light heavyweight category in a national event. I came in 5th place in this but I believe this was my best one, my best preparation mentally as well as physically, and I look forward to the years to come.”
Although Isaiah does enjoy chest exercises, his biggest web-like keloid on his chest often prevents him from lifting heavy weights, since it can lead to bleeding and bursting.
Isaiah said: “The only thing I’m not able to do really as far as my keloids is chest flies. Chest flies creates a fear. Sometimes they would bleed to where I might not able to work out that day because of it.”
Nevertheless Isaiah has his sights set on becoming a World Natural Bodybuilding Champion and will stop at nothing to achieve his title.
Isaiah said: “I would say to anyone who has this condition, to first accept it and trust in God that this is who he created.
“There's an old African proverb that says 'if there's no enemy within, no enemy outside can do us no harm."
If you suffer from keloids, here are few natural remedies you can try at home:
1.) Aspirin
The same aspirin that you take for headaches and other health problems can also be used to treat keloids as it helps reduce the scar’s size and appearance.
Crush three or four aspirin tablets and add a small amount of water to make a smooth, thick paste.
Apply the paste on the scar, allow it to dry completely and then rinse it off by rubbing the area gently under water.
Pat the area dry and then apply some olive oil or tea tree oil.
Do this daily until the keloid is gone.
2.) Sandalwood and Rose Water
Sandalwood has many skin regenerating properties and rose water is a natural skin toner. Used together they can help prevent or reduce and lighten keloid scars.
Make a thick paste of sandalwood powder and rose water. If you wish, you can also add some black gram to the paste. You can find black gram in an Asian supermarket.
Clean the scar with water and apply thepaste before going to bed. In the morning, wash the area thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Do this regularly for a month or two.
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3.) Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains antioxidants and vitamin C that are very helpful in treating different types of scars, including keloids. After a few weeks of using this remedy, you should see significant improvement in the color, texture, appearance, and flexibility of the scar.
Extract the juice from a fresh lemon and apply it on the affected skin area.
Leave it on for about half an hour, and then wash the area with lukewarm water.
Repeat the process at least once daily.
For those who are looking for something more potent, there is also a great combination recipe to remove keloids:
4.) A Combination
Combine 1 tablespoon mustard seed oil, 1 teaspoon rose essential oil and 8 tablespoons Jojoba oil in a small container and shake it vigorously. Apply a small amount to the affected area and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water and wash with a mild cleanser. Store the unused portions of the mixture in a cool, dark place for up to one month.
