Nose Piercing Stain

I am pretty sure that I was wearing a silver nose ring during the healing process of my nose piercing, resulting in a dark ring around my piercing.  I have had this piercing for over four years, and currently have been wearing a surgical steel 316LVM stud for over a year now but there has been no reduction in the amount of discoloration surrounding the piercing.  I would like to take the ring out soon but I fear a black or gray scar will appear in the place of my ring and I would rather have the piercing than that.  Will laser skin treatment be able to remove this scar?  I heard that it doesn't work because the scar is all the way through the cartilage.  Would it be possible for my doctor to perform laser skin treatment while the piercing is still open?  Also, is there a way to speed up the healing process/detoxification of the metal staining while I still have the piercing?  I'm willing to try almost  anything to get rid of this stain.
Thank you