Can You Fix a Tattoo?

Getting a tattoo is an exciting time. You’ve found a style or design that speaks to you on a personal level that you’ll represent and wear forever. The idea of having something on your body permanently speaks to your level of dedication to this particular idea or thing. Regardless, there can come a time where we do end up regretting our body art for one reason or another, whether it’s something personal or we happen to fall out of love with it. There are a few ways to go about covering up, redesigning or entirely removing a tattoo, all of which have their pros and cons depending on what your end goal is.

The Ideal Tattoo

Ideally, when we get our tattoo, it’s done by a professional shop by a professional artist. Sometimes, these individuals can mess up or do shoddy work without us knowing until it’s too late. It can lead to feelings of regret and wanting to redesign or get rid of the tattoo. Not all hope is lost if you need to get your tattoo fixed, as it tends to be more comfortable and much less painful to turn it into something new instead of removing it permanently. If this is the choice you want to make, it might be a good idea to do some more research on tattoo shops that specialize in covering up work.

Covering up Your Original Tattoo

Once you find a shop and artist that is willing to do your cover-up tattoo work, the next step is deciding what you want to do with it. If you have a more elaborate tattoo, it tends to be easier to add to its current design rather than try to scrap it and start over. More straightforward tattoos can be more difficult, as they require a bit more thought put into them to get outside of the box of simplicity that made you not like it in the first place. If you still want to keep things low key, you can try adding smaller, more intricate details to your existing design to change it to something different effectively. One of the best things you can do when it comes to covering up your tattoo is to consult with your artist about various ideas. If you can’t seem to think of anything, get a second opinion and see if it resonates with what you’re trying to accomplish in your final design.

The Tattoo Removal Process

At the other end, tattoo removal is the most drastic option that you can take. It can be painful and expensive, but this will be your single best bet in permanently getting rid of permanent art. You’ll want to find somewhere with state-of-the-art technology to accomplish this, as the process becomes more comfortable each year. Laser tattoo removal is the industry standard and can be cost-effective if you shop around for rates. These are typically designated relative to the size and location of your tattoo, which in turn will decide how many treatments you will need to effectively get rid of it.

What is Laser Removal?

Lasers are used in the removal process to substantially dissolve the pigment of your tattoo permanently and in a noninvasive way. Regardless, the procedure can still cause a great deal of pain due to the amount of time it takes and the precision required to make it effective at removal. It can take six to eight appointments to see the final results of laser removal. The effective treatment essentially renders the tattooed area completely free of permanent ink, but this again depends on the amount of work you had done on top of how well the treatment works on your skin.

Pros and Cons of Removing Tattoos

Pros:

• Lasers can pretty much get rid of an entire tattoo after a few treatments.
• Getting rid of a poorly done tattoo can improve your job prospects as well as the quality of life.
• Covering up a tattoo means that you get a new lease on your permanent body art without having to have a removal done.

Cons:

• Laser removal can’t get rid of any scars that you got during the tattooing process.
• Some laser treatments do not always work fully.
• Laser treatment can be harrowing and requires frequent trips for treatment.

Living With Your Body Art

In the end, deciding to remove or cover up a tattoo should be yours alone, and you should take your comfort and quality of life into account when deciding on which step to take. Thanks to modern technology, you don’t have to be stuck with something you don’t like, and there are options available to you that can increase your chances of success.