- Posted on:
November 15, 2020
What if I don’t like my tattoo?
You may find yourself with a tattoo that for whatever reason you wish you no longer had. It may be the name of an ex-partner, a piece you may have gotten as a teenager or an impulsive decision made while inebriated. However, you do not need worry too much as there are a few methods that are available to turn your regretted tattoo in to a piece that you will be proud to wear.
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. Tattoo modifications essentially consist of changing the elements in your piece to something new, that can bring other life to your current artwork. It can be used to fix parts of a tattoo that have been poorly done, refreshing pieces that may have faded over time or aiding in camouflaging sections of your tattoo that no longer make sense.
Add ons and reworks are great options to embellish smaller/simpler pieces that do not require a complete cover up. Modifications do not usually work well with larger/more intricate tattoos as the additional ink can turn your image in to a dark illegible mess.
If you have a tattoo that can be incorporated in to a new piece and you do not mind keeping your old ink; you may be better off with getting your tattoo modified rather than completely covering or removing it.
Nevertheless, if what you already have is not salvageable, then a complete cover-up is the next logical option. When going for complete coverage, being open minded with design and sizing is crucial. This assists in leaving your artist room to effectively come up with designs that will result in the best possible outcome for your new piece.
Tattoo cover ups can be used in many ways; for example, to conceal old scars, birthmarks, stretch marks and to get rid of old tattoos that you no longer wish to wear. It is important to know that your new tattoo is always going to have to be much larger and darker in order to completely cover your old piece.
Being open to this will lead to having more freedom in what images and designs you may be able to use for your cover up. Trying to keep the new tattoo as small and light as possible can severely put a limit on the options you will have.
Sometimes the more complex your cover up design is in terms of details, shading, textures and usage of darker/solid colours, the better your new design will turn out.
Applying new ink on to an existing piece does not replace what was once already there. Colours for cover ups may be limited in range as lighter ink colours will tend to show through the existing tattoo. The cover up will always need to be a shade or two darker than what was originally there.
When picking a design for your cover up tattoo, try to keep in mind pieces that contain textures and shadows. Petals or leafs from a flower, animals like birds or fish that have scales and plumage or anything that may contain a shadow can tremendously help avert the eyes from the area that your tattoo once was. Using illustrations like these with strategic placement can be used as optical illusions to draw attention away from the location of your old tattoo and to help focus it on the artwork as a whole.
As previously mentioned, when left with no other choices; laser tattoo removal may open up quite a few options for you. When a piece is very dark or large, laser treatments can be recommended to lighten up the tattoo. Laser removal aids in introducing many more possibilities for the client and artist to create a successful cover up design with less limitations.
If you have the money, patience and time; laser is a fantastic option to consider.
Nonetheless, tattoo removal may take quite some time and is not a quick process by any means. It can also lead to being quite an expensive journey; as getting rid of an old tattoo can usually require multiple sessions to get you the best potential results.
Regardless of the route you may have to take, do not get discouraged and know that there are many options that can get rid of that unwanted tattoo.
Consider starting a consultation with one of our artists to start exploring some possible designs. Our team can offer a wide array of different styles that hopefully will inspire and facilitate you. Be sure to give some thought into what may work for your situation and ensure an open mind to different ideas and styles; A great final outcome may not always be what you had in mind at first.