Pseudoepitheliomatous tattoo reaction

With the rising popularity of tattoos, adverse skin reactions to this practise are being increasingly recognized. Most tattoo reactions involve dermal inflammatory changes. Florid pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia is a rare and poorly recognized complication of tattooing. Lack of awareness of this association may result in a misdiagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. Careful consideration of the clinicopathological context is of paramount importance to make this distinction. Although exceptionally rare, genuine squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma can sometimes develop in tattoo sites. Because of this, full thickness biopsies and complete excision of the hyperproliferative area should be recommended. In contrast to pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, a squamous cell carcinoma generally tends to develop much later.