Will my skin color ever come back? (Photo)

Unfortunately, there is no "cure" for lack of pigmentation, just treatment to improve the area. I suggest consulting a board certified cosmetic dermatologist for further evaluation and medical tattooing. Best, Dr. Emer

Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, this far out I would not expect further improvement. It appears that your melanocytes in this skin were killed off, not just "stunned" so to speak. Normally if there is hypopigmentation in the course of laser tattoo removal it rebounds in a couple of months with a bit of sunlight exposure to stimulate the melanocytes. In your case the white skin is likely devoid of melanocytes and will be very susceptible to a burn. A coverup with another tattoo is a consideration, but the ink will look different on the different background skin colors- it would take a lot of planning, and a very experienced artist.Best, Lisa Vuich, MD

Unfortunately, there is a higher risk of hypopigmentation in people with darker skin. A tattoo can be removed from darker skin, but the laser is likely to remove pigment from your skin along with the tattoo pigment. At this point, it is unlikely that your skin's coloration will return to normal since it looks as though your melanocytes were destroyed and melanin can no longer be produced in that area. However, some laser treatments have been known to help restore or even out variations in skin color and skin grafting could also be considered. Additionally, there may be topical prescriptions that could help to counteract the hypopigmentation but it may be too late for this method to be effective because of the amount of time that has passed. Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon so that they can give you a more thorough explanation of these and other options.