Choices
Cover-up: what works and what doesn’t
Almost any old tattoo can be covered, but not with every design and not always in one go. A good cover-up isn’t a design with something on top, but a new design built around what’s already there.
What decides the options
Three things weigh most: how dark the old piece is, how big it is, and where it sits. Faded colours and thin lines are easier to cover than a solid black area or a thick tribal. The shape of the old piece also matters: a long, narrow piece needs a different new design than a round motif.
Why it gets bigger
Ink isn’t like paint that you put over something to cover it. Pigment lies in the skin, next to and between the old pigment, and both stay visible. The old piece only disappears because your eye no longer reads it within a darker pattern. That’s why a cover-up is usually two to three times as large as the old piece, and often contains large black or dark areas. That is a guideline, not a law.
Which motifs work well
Texture helps: feathers, flowers with large leaves, animal fur, clouds, ornament and wood. You can make old lines disappear in them, because there is movement everywhere anyway. Open and light designs are difficult: fine lines, lots of empty skin and very light colours. If you really want a light end result, lasering first is often the better route.
Honest about expectations
In good light an old line can sometimes still be seen as a shadow, especially in the first months. A good tattoo artist will tell you that beforehand. Ask for honest advice, even if that advice is: this design doesn’t fit, this will be heavier than you want, or have it lightened first.
Lasering first
A few laser treatments can lighten a dark piece enough to give you more design choice. So it doesn’t have to lead to removal. In Germany, since 31 December 2020, removing tattoos with a laser may only be done by doctors with the right additional training; the courts in Düsseldorf and Munich confirmed this. In the Netherlands different rules apply. In both cases, ask for an explanation of the number of treatments and the healing, because afterwards the skin first has to settle completely.
How to prepare
Send a sharp photo in daylight, straight on and without a filter, with something next to it for scale. Say how old the piece is, whether it has already been touched up or lasered, and what you no longer want to see in it. Ideas for the new piece are welcome, but leave room: the old tattoo partly decides what’s possible. More about our approach under cover-ups.
Thinking in sessions
A large cover-up often takes several sessions, because the skin needs to recover in between and because a dark base layer sometimes has to heal first. Also expect heavier healing than with an open piece on fresh skin, because more ink has been put in. The aftercare is otherwise the same: see aftercare day by day.
Scars
Tattooing over a scar is sometimes possible once it has fully healed. Scar tissue takes ink differently, and the result is less predictable. For medical scars, ask your treating doctor first and then discuss it with the tattoo artist.
Deciding for yourself
Take your time to answer this question: do you mainly want to get rid of the old piece, or do you mainly want something new? Those are two different wishes that lead to different choices. If you’re unsure, first have a design made on a photo of the spot, and look at it for a week.
Frequently asked
How much bigger does a cover-up get?
As a guideline, often two to three times as large as the old piece. It depends on how dark it is and its shape.
Do I need to laser first?
Not always. With a very dark piece, or if you want a light end result, it can give you a lot of choice.
Who is allowed to laser in Germany?
Only doctors with the right additional training, since 31 December 2020.
Sources
General information, not medical or legal advice. Aftercare advice from the studio comes first.