A tattoo can seem like a permanent part of one’s body that cannot be transformed or redone. Fortunately, it is possible to change a tattoo. Whether a tattoo has been disfigured from damages to the skin, like scarring or stretch marks, or the tattoo ink has simply blurred with time there is a solution. If you have changed your mind about your tattoo’s original design, then you might be a candidate for a touch-up, a complete fix, an elaborate cover-up or a re-do on your tattoo.
Cover Up a Tattoo
Covering up a tattoo is done by overlaying a new design, larger than the original, which has dark areas that can be superimposed directly over the dark areas of the old tattoo. Scar tissue does not take ink as easily as regular skin, so another option is full or partial laser tattoo removal. At MEDermis Laser Clinic we will fade your current tattoo so that a tattoo artist can apply a new tattoo design over the old one. A benefit to fading and covering an old tattoo is that you’ll need fewer sessions than a tattoo removal.
If you don’t need the entire tattoo covered, we can also complete selective removal. We’ll focus the laser removal to only a part of the tattoo like a name or mistake in the tattoo design. A laser specialist will use the laser at lower repetition rates to target the desired area.
Re-Do Your Tattoo
Tattoos that are old, blurry and sun-damaged will benefit from being re-done. Using the same design, re-drawn with needle and ink over the original, a re-done tattoo will not look exactly like the old one but may possess an intriguing three-dimensionality and depth stemming from the overlay of new, sharp lines of link over the old, blurry lines.
Touching Up Faded Tattoos
Another, more subtle option is a touch-up. Touch-ups can be done repeatedly to keep your favorite tattoo fresh and crisp or to help refresh a partially faded tattoo. Some tattoo artists will even touch up your body art for free or at a reduced rate because it shows how they value their clients and maintain the top-notch appearance of best advertisem*nt for their art and services. Whatever your situation, a personal visit to your tattoo artist will help you decide what’s best for you.
Creative Ways to Hide a Tattoo
When you’re younger and deciding to get a tattoo, you may not consider how this impacts your job prospects or how its location may not be ideal for formal events or the workplace. If you still love your tattoo and need a quick and easy cover-up for a tattoo, try these simple solutions:
- Makeup: To cover up a tattoo with makeup, apply a foundation shade with a peach or pink shade over dry skin to neutralize the darkness of the ink. Then, use a powder to set the area, and apply another layer of foundation that matches your skin tone.
- Accessories: Depending on the location of your tattoo, you can easily use accessories like scarves, watches or bracelets to cover your art in a convenient and stylish way.
- Clothing: Also an easy solution, you can utilize your clothing choices to easily cover your tattoos. Consider wearing long sleeves and pants, tights, Spanx or high-top shoes to work or events to keep your tattoos under wraps.
Call MEDermis Laser Clinic to Fade or Remove Your Tattoo
Since 2006, MEDermis Laser Clinic has provided the easiest, safest and most convenient tattoo removal to residents in San Antonio and Austin, TX. We achieve your tattoo removal without damaging or significantly scarring the skin and offer a guarantee that if we don’t remove your tattoo within the session estimate we provide, we’ll continue treating the tattoo until it is gone at no additional cost to you for a year.
With nearly 300,000 tattoo removals worth of experience, we have the expertise to remove your old, unwanted ink. Fill out our online form to schedule a consultation or speak to one of our removal experts by calling us at 512-637-5277 (Austin) or 210-402-4030 (San Antonio).
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FAQs
Add ons, reworks, complete cover-ups or opting for laser removal sessions are all options that should be looked in to when you are left with a tattoo you no longer love. Tattoo add ons and reworks are usually the simplest way to modify or alter designs that require minor enhancements.
What are some of the ways tattoos change with age how does this connect with the layers in our skin? ›
Tattoos age because of our skin's natural cell turnover. As old skin cells are replaced by new ones, tattoo ink breaks down and spreads, causing designs to fade. Sun exposure accelerates this process, causing colors to blur. The type of ink matters too – high-quality inks fade slower than cheaper ones.
How do you make your tattoo look new? ›
Buff out the damage once or twice a week on fully healed tattoos. Apply BUFF to a washcloth or shower scrubber and use a circular motion to gently polish off dead skin and grunge residue. If your skin gets red, sore, or inflamed, lay off the buffing and stick to moisturizing until your skin is healed.
What is the method of tattooing? ›
Methods of Tattooing
There are three main methods for tattooing: piercing, puncturing, and cutting skin. Piercing is most common among modern tattoo artists. Piercing uses an object, such as a needle, to push ink into the skin. Puncturing requires a great deal of force in order to break through the skin.
How can I customize my tattoo? ›
You can draft a rough sketch and bring it to the tattoo artist. The artist can, in turn, refine your vision and bring the design closer to what you had envisioned, as well as advise you on feasibility and cost. If you don't know how to draw, get a friend or hire a freelancer to draw your vision for you.
Can a tattoo be modified? ›
Yes, they can. But as the client, you have the final say on whether you approve the change(s) or not. In some cases, changes need to be made so the tattoo is able to show a certain level of detail or so that it will age well (aging and sun exposure, for instance, can cause lines or detail to “bleed” over time).
What are some of the ways tattoos change with age? ›
The main signs of tattoo aging include the ink's pigment breaking down, causing your tattoo to appear blurry, stretched, wrinkled or less vibrant than it once was.
How tattooing has changed? ›
Whereas humans once used wooden and bronze tools to create the designs, we now use finely-crafted needles. Where soot and other substances created the various pigments, we now use specialized inks. Our modern tattoos are designed to last longer, stand out more sharply and be less painful as well.
How do tattoos change with muscle growth? ›
Muscle gain
Gaining some serious muscle (as in Hulk-like proportions) will definitely stretch your skin, but it usually won't stretch a tattoo enough to warp its appearance. Even if you lift heavy and often, the bulking up typically won't happen fast enough to impact the appearance of a tattoo.
What can I put on my tattoo to make it look new? ›
vegetable oils, such as olive oil and wheat germ oil: deeply moisturise and keep the skin well hydrated for a long time; aloe vera, calendula or other natural soothing ingredients: exceptional for relieving reddened and sensitive skin.
Once your tattoos have healed you can exfoliate your new tattoo, and all your other healed tattoos too. Exfoliating helps to remove build up of dead skin cells, dirt and impurities which can make tattoos look dull. An exfoliating body wash gently scrubs your skin leaving skin luminous.
What were the early methods of tattooing? ›
The practice dates back at least 10,000 years and involves skin stitching or hand-poke/stickand-poke. Ethnographically, tattooing was practiced by all Inuit but was most common among women and would commemorate an achievement or reaching a certain milestone in life.
What is the modern method of tattooing? ›
The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second. This modern procedure is ordinarily sanitary. The needles are single-use needles that come packaged individually. The tattoo artist must wash his or her hands and must also wash the area that will be tattooed.
What are the primitive methods of tattooing? ›
Rake and striking: Older and more primitive, this tattooing method uses a sharpened rake made of bone that's attached to a long handle. The rake is dipped in ink, then pushed into taut skin. Metal tube: This Southeastern Asian technique is a guide for the modern Western method of tattooing.
What to do if you're not happy with your tattoo? ›
If you aren't happy with your tattoo, there are two primary options: removing it or modifying it. Laser tattoo removal is a safe way to remove your tattoo, often accomplishing thorough results so your tattoo has minimal or no visible ink.
Can you put a new tattoo over an old one? ›
Tattoo cover ups work by tattooing a new design over your original, unwanted tattoo. It utilizes elements of the original design to create something entirely new. A tattoo cover up would work well for someone ok with a tattoo in the same spot but wants a fresh new design or to hide the original.
How do you transition tattoos together? ›
Transforming existing tattoos into a cohesive sleeve requires vision and skill. Analyze the current artwork for common themes in style, color palette, and subject first. Then ideate designs that incorporate and link these elements, weaving both background filler and structural main pieces to bridge gaps.
What to do if you hate your new tattoo? ›
You can wear clothing like long sleeve shirts, put on waterproof makeup, or just use a bandage to keep your tat out of sight. For those that want to erase all evidence of their ink, you can either get another tattoo over it or have it removed at a clinic that specializes in skin conditions.
