Removal/cover-up advice please

[Padji]

Hi all,

My better half has an old, terrible tattoo that she had done when she was 15

To this day, she hates it and wants to get something decent done with it.

The problem us not so much the removal side of things but the scarring that the tattooer caused when butchering her!

It's pretty small so should be easy enough (I reckon) to work a bigger piece around it after a bit of laser to take out the dark black but I suppose the question is, what is scarring/raised/lumpy skin like to tattoo over and is there any particular advice for this problem?

I imagine that this is a relatively common problem/issue for tattooers when it comes to cover ups?

Also, I'd guess that the pain of laser/cover-up would be worse due to the scarring?

Would welcome any views.

Many thanks,

Paddy

[pidjones]

I think your best advice is to find the artist that you want to do the cover-up work, and consult with them as to how much (if any) laser blasting is needed. Some can do amazing cover-ups with no laser work. I doubt the pain will be much worse (actually, it should be better) that the initial butcher job.

[SeeSea]

Yikes. Yeah, agree with @pidjones. It's great she's going to get it upgraded to something awesome.

[Dustingormley]

Yeah she wont need to use the laser if she gets something with black in it, or any dark color. The bigger and darker it is the better and it will hide the scaring. Good luck and have fun!

[MarvelAvengers]

I don't agree with having to go black I personally speak from experience than the design and coming up with something larger and detailed will work. Any artist experience with coverup a can do this. Any artist that say you have to go black over it is wrong. You can see my coverup in my gallery

[Synesthesia]

^ Most of your cover-up is under the shadowy part of his shield, which is indeed black. In the case of this tattoo, she DEFINITELY needs a lot of black, please don't try to tell this guy it can be covered with color.

I think this could easily be hidden by something with heavy black, and with a couple laser sessions, that opens up her options further.

[MarvelAvengers]

But it can be covered with color. There is plenty of it under red and blue in mine. The new pigment mixes with the old, creating a darkershade of the new color. With the right design, colors are certainly an option. The fact that its not a recognizable shape and it's fading leaves plenty of options. If you wanted to cover it with something of the same size, I would agree , but I am saying that I could find 10 artist locally that could work with this with going black over it. I'm suggesting asking a reputable artist rather than be discouraged by an internet forum that wants to put a black panther head over everything.

Will it be perfect? Probably not. Will You be able to notice some remnants of the old piece? Likely some, but you know it's there and where to focus. That being said, no reason to shy away, because the end product coverup done by a good artist will look better that what you are covering. Just do you homework and research the artists.

Here are some examples of color over black

[Mike Panic]

From someone who does laser, my advice for cover-up tattoos is almost always start with laser. With something as dark, heavy and scarred as that it will show through the new piece. Maybe not at first, but a year or two down the road it will, and the scarring will still be felt to finger tips and also visually seen through the new tattoo.

In my experience, a good number of people who come to with similar scarring see a significant reduction from the laser tattoo removal process, so it's more than likely worth a shot.

The other thing to keep in mind here is that the dermis has only so much room. In addition to the pigment that was put in here, it's competing for space with scar tissue. Adding more pigment could result into a less than favorable final product a few years down the road.

[kvaz]

It's small enough that it should be able to be covered up fairly easy with the right size and detail of the new work. I have a cover up, but it was a much larger area to be covered. The new ink ended up being way too dark and I find myself wishing I would have gotten some laser done first.

[MarvelAvengers]

From someone who does laser, my advice for cover-up tattoos is almost always start with laser. With something as dark, heavy and scarred as that it will show through the new piece. Maybe not at first, but a year or two down the road it will, and the scarring will still be felt to finger tips and also visually seen through the new tattoo.

In my experience, a good number of people who come to with similar scarring see a significant reduction from the laser tattoo removal process, so it's more than likely worth a shot.

The other thing to keep in mind here is that the dermis has only so much room. In addition to the pigment that was put in here, it's competing for space with scar tissue. Adding more pigment could result into a less than favorable final product a few years down the road.

Mike, are you saying that laser removal can reduce scarring?

[Mike Panic]

Mike, are you saying that laser removal can reduce scarring?

Professionally speaking, no. If you are interested in having scar reduction please contact a derm or plastic surgeon about having a fraxel laser (fractional laser) treatment done. Have I seen a Q-Switch Nd:YAG laser reduce raised areas that were scarred during the tattooing process? Yes, but I will always do my best to explain that the scar tissue can also encapsulate tattoo pigment making the laser I use ineffective on tattoo removal in that specific area.

[MarvelAvengers]

Professionally speaking, no. If you are interested in having scar reduction please contact a derm or plastic surgeon about having a fraxel laser (fractional laser) treatment done. Have I seen a Q-Switch Nd:YAG laser reduce raised areas that were scarred during the tattooing process? Yes, but I will always do my best to explain that the scar tissue can also encapsulate tattoo pigment making the laser I use ineffective on tattoo removal in that specific area.

Thank you, as I have a "USMC" tattoo that I feel is not a good candidate for removal for coverup due to the scarring is significant enough that a blind man could read it with his fingers

[Mike Panic]

Thank you, as I have a "USMC" tattoo that I feel is not a good candidate for removal for coverup due to the scarring is significant enough that a blind man could read it with his fingers

We do often refer to those as Braille tattoos, and it's very typical in lettering, kanji or other thick black outlines. Also, due to the heavy metals found in many black inks, some people have minor allergic reactions to the pigment. This is most commonly seen after exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time, they become raised, or more raised.

[Scott R]

personally Id blast that once or twice with a laser and it would be all but gone. then if she wanted she could do anything there with a good tattooer

[pidjones]

To the OP: It's been about 6 months now - has anything been done? Decisions made? Awesome art to share?

[Padji]

To the OP: It's been about 6 months now - has anything been done? Decisions made? Awesome art to share?

No, no and no!! Life, unfortunately, hasnt been kind to herself over the past couple of months as she's not been well. It's more or less gone off the radar for the past while.

However, we are planning on getting married next year so hopefully this (in conjunction with the health getting better) will kick start the planning again!

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[pidjones]

So sorry about her health, but happy to hear of the planned wedding. Lots of time, and there will be plenty of artists around always. In addition, it will give her more time to study and plan the perfect cover-up.

[Padji]

So sorry about her health, but happy to hear of the planned wedding. Lots of time, and there will be plenty of artists around always. In addition, it will give her more time to study and plan the perfect cover-up.

Cheers man, hopefully taking a trip to the states for the honeymoon. I'm already lining up potential appointments so maybe both of us will have a couple of new pieces when we return!

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