Join our new Community Event series: First session on keloid scarring now open for registration

Our free, informal Scar Free Foundation Community Event series kicks off with a keloids-focused evening on Wednesday 20 May – and you’re invited!

Hemani and Janet are seated at a table in a brightly lit, wood panelled room. Hemani is talking and wears a pastel pink shirt. Janet is smiling and listening and wears a black top and grey scarf. Dr Hemani Modasia Shah is a GP, and Scar Free Foundation Trustee and Ambassador. Professor Janet Lord is co-director of the scar free foundation centre for conflict wound research, Birmingham

Friday 1 May 2026

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Scar Free Foundation Community Event series: a new programme of in-person sessions for people living with or affected by scars.

Our first session on keloids will take place at 6.15pm on Wednesday 20 May in Lambeth – spaces are limited and registration is essential, so register here today!

Register

Until now, much of our work has focused on research: helping to improve understanding and treatment of scar types, treatment options, and supporting research which allows better care.

But alongside continuing long term research, we also want to provide something practical and immediate for people living with scars: reliable information, access to expert insight, and the opportunity to meet others with shared experiences.

Our new public events will take place in spaces across the country, creating welcoming environments where people can access trusted information from clinicians and healthcare professionals, connect with others, and talk openly about the realities of living with scarring.

Mr Simon Filson, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Evelina London Children's Hospital, stands against a white hospital wall wearing dark blue short sleeved scrubs and smiles

Mr Simon Filson is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Evelina London Children’s Hospital and has an interest in keloid scarring

You’re invited to our first meeting: Understanding keloid scars

We are starting with a small meeting for around 40 people affected by keloids. Everyone is welcome, but if you are living with keloid scars, care for someone who is, or have an interest in learning more, we would love to welcome you.

Scarring remains a huge health problem which is overlooked and underfunded, and this is particularly true of keloid scarring, where many unanswered questions remain. There is still limited research into:

  • What causes keloids
  • Why they affect people so differently
  • Which treatments are most effective long term
  • How outcomes can be improved for patients

The evening will be hosted by Dr Hemani Modasia-Shah, a GP, and Trustee and Ambassador of the Scar Free Foundation, alongside Mr Simon Filson, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, and Simon’s colleagues, who are involved in keloid research and treatment. Talking about the event, and keloid scarring, Simon said:

“I hope everyone has an enjoyable, informative evening about what is actually possible with specialist keloid care and empowering patients and parents to be able to advocate for themselves.

I really wish to improve equity and fairness in access to healthcare for these often painful, itchy and cosmetically sensitive scars, that affect people every day in their lives and with some simple measures this, in most cases, just isn’t necessary.”

This informal, accessible, and supportive event, you’ll have a chance to:

  • Learn more about keloids
  • Ask questions in a relaxed environment
  • Hear what we understand, and don’t yet understand, about keloids
  • Meet others with lived experience
  • Connect with others in a non-clinical, non-commercial setting
Dr Hemani Modasia-Shah wears a blue short dress patterned with green and red birds, as she smiles, standing with her hands on her hips

Hemani, a GP, Scar Free Foundation Trustee and Ambassador, will host the first Scar Free Foundation Community Event

Event Details

  • Date: Wednesday 20 May
  • Location: Lambeth (full location given when you register)
  • Start time: 6:15pm
  • Cost: Free

Spaces are limited and advance registration is essential. Register now to reserve your place!

Register

 

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Richard, Char and Hemani stand in a line with a screen between Hemani and Charlotte. Hemani wears a yellow and cream shirt and trouser outfit, Charlotte wears a black top and trousers, and Richard wears beige trousers, a pink shirt, and a blazer. The screen has a red display and reads 'The Scar Free Foundation' in white. The three stand in a brightly lit room. From the left: Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, Charlotte Coates (Head of Research at The Scar Free Foundation), Hemani Modasia-Shah (a GP, and Scar Free Foundation Trustee and Ambassador)

Thank you for joining our first ever Scar Free Foundation Community Event!

The Scar Free Foundation’s first ever Community Event on keloid scarring brought together clinicians and those with lived experience for an inclusive, informal community evening.

Read: Thank you for joining our first ever Scar Free Foundation Community Event!

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