[2013-10-01 22:21:45 - darlene]: Hello, Can you do work on a tattoo that has been previously removed, but has left some raised scarring along with a pinkish color to the skin.

[2013-10-08 08:35:29 - Franziska Ringpfeil MD.]: Scar formation is possible after tattoo removal, especially with the currently available Q-switched lasers. It is not usually seen with the newer generation picosecond lasers. Raised pink scars may be hypertrophic scars or keloids. A hypertrophic scar usually settles by itself after 2 years without any treatment. A keloid is a genetically determined scar that does not typically settle and may get worse with trauma. The redness in both, hypertrophic scars and keloids, can be treated with a pulsed dye laser. It can take several sessions to remove the redness. Pulsed dye laser treatments also allow for shrinkage of hypertrophic scars and keloids when treated very early after their occurrence. Keloids may often require injections with a steroid or a combination of steroid and another solution to flatten the process. If a keloid formed, additional treatment with the older generation Q-switched lasers for any remaining tattoo pigment is not advisable.