A note about cover-ups

Sometimes we experience tattoo regret, sometimes we just want to try something different with our body art. In these situations, it's common to want to cover up an old tattoo. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking to hide old ink, so let's dive in!

Remember how you got that first tattoo you don't like because it was a rushed decision? Yeah, don't do that. Take your time  finding not only a great artist, but one who has done cover-ups before and is actually good at them. The worst thing you can do is make the same mistake twice and hurry to get another tattoo over the old one that doesn't look great. This might mean driving a little farther, asking more questions, and listening to your artist when they make suggestions about what will and won't be a great cover up.

It's also not unusual to believe that covering up an old tattoo means using lots of dark ink. A big black blob doesn't look great, it just looks like a bad cover up. There are ways to hide old ink under new ink without going darker, such as by camouflaging the lines inside a new design that draws more attention. Sure sometimes folks can see the old lines if they look close enough or if pointed out, but the idea is that it's not what someone would see at first glance.

And then there's simply reworking an old piece instead of hiding it! Maybe the meaning or idea behind a tattoo you have is really cool, but it's executed poorly and you don't feel right about the way it looks. Maybe it was poorly done in the first place or just aged to be ugly. It might be worth trying to salvage the old art and see if a new artist can spruce it up or do something interesting with it. This way there's no hassle in hiding it by something unrelated, and you can continue to enjoy your original tattoo without feeling bad about showing it off!