Tattooing of Scars and Disfiguring Burn Lesions

Cutaneous scars are permanent and the result of physiological wound healing with formation of disorganized collagen instead of the normally structured connective tissue network (or "textile") of the dermis. A scar restores the physical and tensile integrity of skin; skin is a vital protective layer on the body. Scars are of many types and with a broad spectrum of individual variations of color, texture, thickness, furrowing, tension, and contraction. Scars can be red and hypertrophic and, moreover, aggressive and manifested as keloids. White scars can be changed in color into a normal tone and look by the application of medical tattooing. This can help many scar victims regain their quality of life. High level of skill is required by the tattoo artist, who shall be experienced. Tattooing may restore skin color, but it cannot restore textural and structural changes, which may need correction using other methods before the tattoo is ready to correction of color by tattooing. The medical tattooist needs to cooperate with other specialists and develop a consistent strategy of the treatments to be applied including the sequence of treatments with tattooing added at the end for final color correction back towards normal. The medical tattooist from start shall take responsibility and select the clients who are likely to benefit from tattooing and exclude clients, who shall not be offered this treatment.