Pros and Cons of Coverup Tattoos
- Albatross
- Nov 11, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
HOW IT STARTS, All about Coverup Tattoos
That partner whose name you got/was guilted into getting. Then there's the cheapest one you could get after the club drunk one Saturday night.
Other times, you thought you'd being practice skin and taking one for the team would win brownie points. Maybe you decided to grab that crazy discount with big dreams of your daughters portrait capturing her cuteness, but she ended up looking cursed instead.
But there’s a darker side, one people don't about...so, lets get into it....
Tattoos as branding, stamps of ownership and control. Done in concentration camps back a few decades in Germany, gangs in Asia and the pacific region in human trafficking, domestic violence. Tattoos that carry memories of trauma.
The impact can live for decades, a lifetime and affect others in your life, partners, family members, kids. The thing about ink, is has the magic of capturing and containing events, conversations, minute memories and emotions.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
Coverup Tattoos aren't like getting a regular tattoo. The game is completely different. Here's a few things that need to be taken into consideration when considering a Coverup.
scarring, either from self harm, surgery, injury, stretch marks, burns
skin texture, complextion and type
how heavy and saturated the old tattoo is
solid linework that will present challenges in overlaying and positioning the new design over top.
coverups often require more than one session to push back the old tattoo
finances, budget and availability. Coverups often need to be larger than the old tattoo in order to absorb the old design into the new one.
The hardest part in considering covering up ghosts from the past.
Basic stuff, like what will work. You can seriously tie yourself in knots trying to work that out. Unless you have the skills to do coverups you won't know what's possible. It's best to do a consultation with an Artist that specialises in Coverups.
Keep an open mind, you might not have as many options so guidance through the process is the best route forward.
COVERING SCARS
COVERING SCARS... Stuff to know.... I feel like you guys are kept in the dark way too much. When you're clued up, you're in a much better position to make decisions for yourself. Also helps to weed out the Tattooers that don't know their stuff. SCARS... You can camouflage them, work them into the new design as best you can but they're always going to be there.
Depending on what kind of scar they are, for instance...
Stretch marks
will sometimes have ink fall into them and potentially spread under the dermis.
Kelioid scarring will be harder to push ink into and will raise up bleed more and push ink out, much harder to ink but it is possible with a skilled practitioner.
Surgical incision scar
The easiest to cover
Self harm scars
similar to surgical scars sometimes have keloid tissue as well.
Tattoo Scar
Being dug into with tattoo needles with or without ink
They will inflame when they're hit with needles during the procedure they will settle down but always be visible.
WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO
Wiping away bad memories and getting a whole new tattoo buzz.
Recovering your self confidence
Reviving your self esteem
No more wearing sweaters in summer, covering up embarrassing tattoos
Feeling like a new version of yourself with upgraded ink
Falling in love with an area you came to despise.
Tattoo that is relevant to who you are now.
WHATS THE PROCESS
Cover-ups aren’t just about hiding the past—they’re about reclaiming your skin and your story. But it’s not as simple as slapping something new on top.
Assessment
I look over your existing tattoo—size, colour, placement, and assess it based on the points in the above sections.
Design
A good cover-up is a transformation. I'll take your ideas and work through them till I find a design that offers you the best option.
Technique
A very different tattooing aproach is needed along with darker colours, bold lines, and clever shading to mask that old ink.
Pros
You can save yourself from the pain and cost of laser removal.
You get a sense of revival, renewal, recovery and restoration, all the R's!
Cons
Your options are a bit more limited, and you may need to go bigger or bolder than you first imagined. Not every old tattoo can vanish completely—but we’ll get damn close.
Finally ...
In burying those ghosts from the past, the Ex partners, the nasty divorces, the branding, those scars, what matters is what you do next.
Book in for an assessment and I'll show you what your options are and the best way forward. I'll give you honest advice so you can find redemption and get free from unwanted reminders or just damn ugly ink.
LETS DO IT!
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