You can get a cover up for an old tattoo that you are tired of, or that never turned out the way you expected.

Years ago, artists had stock designs that they used to cover offending tattoos. These pieces usually had heavy fields of black; black panthers, black clouds with lightning, etc. Peacocks were also a favorite. You could hide a multitude of sins in those heavily shaded tail feathers.

Attitudes have changed since the old days, and tattoo artists no longer believe that the only way to cover a tattoo is with a large dark mass.

Bearing this in mind, you will need a skilled artist for a cover-up job, unless you relish the idea of eventually getting a cover-up over you cover-up. Having a botched coverup is, unfortunately, not uncommon. So choose your artist carefully, and try to be certain that he or she has already had some experience with this procedure.

You will need a custom piece because it will have to be
designed to fit over and obliterate the existing one. Cover-up work is demanding and exacting, so you will also pay more for a cover-up piece than you would for the same sized tattoo applied on virgin skin.

Choose somebody with a good design sense, someone who can work out an image that will hide the old tattoo and still give you a beautiful new tattoo to be proud of. Your artist may ask you to come back after the new piece has healed so he can go over it again and intensify the color.

Reworking a tattoo is another repair method. In this case, the artist doesn't cover the old tattoo but instead works with what is already there to enhance it.

Perhaps you went to a scratcher and now the color in your floral piece is faded, or the outline on your arm band is jagged? If you're basically happy with the piece, you might just need some corrective work. Any reputable tattooist will also fix any skips in color or the outline that may be
discovered shortly after the piece is healed.

But if you picked and scratched at it during the healing process and literally stripped the color out of your skin, don't expect the tattooist to perform this service for free. If you were conscientious about your aftercare routine and still notice a problem, go back and ask the tattooist about it.

Be patient and do it right, even if it takes a couple of applications. It'll be worth the effort when your old tattoo changes into something new and bright and beautiful!