Tattoos can be a fun and interesting way of expressing yourself. They can be meaningful and designed with a loved one in mind. What happens if you decide you don't want the tattoo anymore, or perhaps you need to cover it up for work — such as you are an actor and you need to cover a large tattoo on your arm?
There are a few ways you can cover up a tattoo, including both temporary solutions such as makeup coverage, and permanent solutions. Here are some things to know about getting a tattoo cover-up.
You Can Get It Lasered
If you are looking for a more permanent way to remove a tattoo, you can have it taken off using a laser. Laser use is sometimes needed even if you plan on a tattoo cover-up or redesign of your existing tattoo because some pieces are so pigment heavy or have dark colors, that an artist needs to remove at least part of the existing tattoo to rework it.
Laser use can be painful but it's not too expensive and can be helpful if you want to redesign or remove your tattoo completely. If you are someone who needs to remove the tattoo due to your work in an office or perhaps the performing arts, then you might want to look into laser removal services.
Find The Right Artist
When you want to have a tattoo cover-up done, it's important to find the right artist to do the work. While you might have really enjoyed the work of the artist who did your original tattoo, they may not have the skills necessary to do a cover-up or redesign of it. In fact, there are artists who only specialize in tattoo cover-up work because it can take that much effort to successfully re-work an existing tattoo.
Look for an artist who specializes in tattoo-cover designs and see if you are drawn to their work in the same way you were drawn to your original artist. If your original artist can do tattoo cover-up designs, then that might be the route to go.
Design Your New Tattoo
Once you have found the right tattoo cover-up artist, work with them to design a new tattoo that will either completely cover your existing piece or incorporate elements from the existing piece into the new design. Always keep in mind that the new tattoo will be bigger than your old one to ensure complete coverage of the old piece.
Work with the artist to pick colors, whether or not it's a complete cover-up or if you just want to re-design the existing tattoo to ensure you will love the new piece.