Ablative laser surgery for allergic tattoo reactions: a retrospective study

Patients with allergic tattoo reactions are burdened with itch and have a reduced quality of life. Conservative treatment is often insufficient and little is known about treatment options to remove the responsible allergen. We aimed to address the effectiveness and safety of ablative laser therapy including measurement of patient's satisfaction, in patients with allergic reactions to tattoos. A retrospective study was conducted including patients with allergic tattoo reactions who were treated with a 10,600 nm ablative CO₂ laser, either by full-surface ablation or fractional ablation. Clinical information originated from medical files and a 25-item questionnaire. Sixteen tattoo allergy patients were treated with a CO₂ laser between January 2010 and January 2018. Fourteen patients completed the questionnaire. Ten patients were satisfied with laser treatment. On a visual analogue scale, pruritus and burning improved with a median of 5.5 and 4 points in the full surface ablation group and 3 points on both parameters in the fractional ablation group. Despite the relatively small group of patients, our results suggest that CO₂ laser ablation improves itching, burning and impact on daily life in tattoo allergy.