Tattoo Removal vs. Tattoo Cover Up
Maybe you’ve already decided that you want to get rid of an old tattoo. Should you opt for full tattoo removal or a cover up? Here are some of the considerations that our clients look at when deciding to get a cover up tattoo or fully removing it.
Full Tattoo Removal
If you have a tattoo in a prominent place like your hand, neck, or face, and you’re concerned about how it affects others’ perception of you, full removal might be the clear answer. People choose full removal when they simply don’t want a tattoo on that part of their body anymore. One of our tattoo industry partners Brian, chose full removal for a tattoo that had been hidden by his hair when he started losing his hair!
A career change often prompts the decision to remove a tattoo completely, as full removal lets people appear more professional in some fields like the airline industry or military. Laser tattoo removal can fade a tattoo so much that it ultimately becomes invisible.
Tattoo Cover Up

If you still like the idea of having a tattoo where your old design is located, a tattoo cover up might be the best option for you. Maybe you want to cover up tattoos on your arm with a new sleeve cover up that’s better designed, for instance. Or, maybe you want to cover up a script tattoo with something else, like a floral design. With a cover up, laser tattoo removal lightens the old design rather than fully removing it. A few laser tattoo removal sessions are usually necessary to fade the tattoo enough for a cover up. In some cases, specific areas of the tattoo take more sessions to lighten than other parts, due to factors like saturation, ink type, or tattoo pigment color.