Covering an old or unwanted tattoo could be resolved by a cover up in most cases. Scars might also be considered to be covered in some cases. In our studio we have done hundreds of successful cover ups although not everything can be covered directly.
In some cases we recommend our clients to undertake a laser tattoo removal treatment to lighten up the tattoo before covering the tattoo successfully.
Every cover up needs to be carefully thought through and discussed with the artist. Setting a consultation time is essential for good result.
What determines that your tattoo can be covered directly:
Obviously smaller the unwanted tattoo is easier it is to find a design to cover it with.
Let’s keep in mind that the colour values going to cover your old tattoos usually need to be darker than the original. Size also matters in a way of placing the new design.
Generally speaking the new tattoo needs to be larger that the original.
One of the factors is the ability of your skin to accept more ink.
So attempting a cover on a lifetime sun-tanned back of neck is going to be harder than covering the same design on a lightly coloured thigh.
Additionally, the chances of a good cover up increase with the size of available space. The artist can scale the new piece appropriately so that design elements of the old tattoo can be seamlessly hidden into the new design.
The darker the original tattoo, the darker the cover up needs to be.
Some tattoos luckily look washed after years or due to very poor original application and these are very easy to cover.
For scarred tissue or tattoos intensive in colour we might recommend couple of prior laser treatments.
You need to be mindful of the fact that if your old tattoo had been applied badly and it formed a risen scar tissue, covering up this tissue will not make it go away and it might end up being detracting in the new design.
