Cover-up tattoo

Metal vocalist Mitch Lucker was known for his cover-up black bar knuckle tattoos, which previously displayed the letters "FORXEVER".

A person may seek a cover-up tattoo if they wish to distance themself from existing tattoos. The simplest reason is if the person is not aesthetically satisfied with how a tattoo appears on their body.[2] In particular, cover-ups are associated with regret for the original tattoo.[3][4] Tattoo artists who do cover-ups are commonly asked to cover tattoos related to a person's past relationship.[5]

As tattoos grew more mainstream in the 1990s and even more in the 2000s, celebrity tattoos received significant attention, especially cover-ups of couples tattoos after breakups.[6][7][8] Examples include Denise Richards, Pete Davidson and Angelina Jolie.[6] After breaking up with actress Winona Ryder in 1993, actor Johnny Depp partially covered up a "Winona Forever" tattoo, to read "Wino Forever".[9]

Popular culture in the 2010s included further growth in the popularity of tattoos and coverage of celebrity cover-up tattoos. In 2017, influencer Kylie Jenner had her "T" for rapper Tyga changed to "LA" after their breakup.[10] After marital separation in 2020, Nick Cannon replaced a large back tattoo of singer Mariah Carey's first name with a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus.[11] Comedian Pete Davidson and singer Ariana Grande got a combined 16 tattoos relating to each other before breaking off their engagement in 2018,[12] then multiple cover-ups.[8][13][14][15]

Some sex trafficking victims who are subjected to branding tattoos later cover them up with chosen tattoos.[16]^: 64 In the United States and Canada, organizations including Survivor's Ink[16]^: 64 and Unbound[17] facilitate such cover-ups. People may also seek cover-ups of tattoos that represent hateful views or affiliation with criminal groups.[18][19][20][21]

The use of flesh-like medical tattoos to cover up skin conditions' symptoms and surgical scars is a long-established practice, dating to the German doctor Pauli in 1835, who used mercury sulfide and white lead to tattoo over skin lesions including nevi and purple plaque,[22]^: 930[23]^{: 368–369} or even to Galen, who executed tattoos of sorts over corneal opacities in 150 CE.[24]^: 81

In the 21st century, decorative cover-up tattoos became a more popular approach to obscuring scars, including burns, self-harm scars, surgical scars, and stretch marks.[25]^{: 540–541} In cases of scars that are hyperpigmented, uneven in texture, or cover a large area, it is often not possible to restore the flesh's previous appearance; decorative tattoos serve to either cover or camouflage these scars instead.[26]^: 5 A 2008 case report,[27] one of the first medical articles on the subject, noted patients taking the initiative in receiving decorative cover-ups.[26]^: 5–6 Decorative tattoos in lieu of reconstruction post-mastectomy emerged as a trend in the early 2010s, particularly in the United States.[28] A 2021 systematic review speculated that decorative scar concealment is one of the most common applications of medical tattooing in a cosmetic or reconstructive context, but noted a lack of evidence, perhaps because many such tattoos happen at the patient's initiative rather than through a medical provider.[26]^: 6–7

Similarly, it can be difficult to hide vitiligo with tattooed pigment, and so some people choose to get artistic tattoos as a distraction.[29] Tattoos are recommended only for people whose conditions are stable, as tattooing may itself trigger vitiligo.[30]^: 763 In 2021, a research team developed a system to print customized temporary tattoos onto the bodies of children with vitiligo.[31]

For people with self-harm scars, cover-up tattoos can be a way of moving past trauma.[32][33] Public figures with self-harm cover-up tattoos include Paris Jackson[34] and Pete Davidson.[35] Self-harm cover-ups raise the complication that the pain of the tattoo process may trigger memories of self-harming.[32]

Bert Grimm business card, circa 1940, advertising cover-up tattoos

Covering a previous tattoo is more difficult than creating a fresh tattoo, so it requires skill and experience.[36] In cover-up tattoos, the previous tattoo has made the skin more sensitive and more passes of the needle are required, damaging the skin more than a first tattoo does.[37]^: 34–35 This means the artist needs to be especially careful to work at the correct depth and with the right amount of color in the needle.[37]^: 34–35

Poorly applied, faded, or light tattoos are the easiest to cover, especially tattoos that are at least several years old.[36] A person may choose to lighten a tattoo using laser removal before getting a cover-up design.[36]

When tattooing over scars, especially raised scars, it can be difficult for an artist to get the ink to stay in place.[36]

A man's arm before and after receiving a decorative medical tattoo over a large burn[26]^: 8

A cover-up can modify an existing tattoo by adding details, colors, or new elements, or it can completely mask the old tattoo with a new design.[38] A colorful image with a lot of shading and shapes, such as animals or flowers, can offer more coverage than an image in black-and-gray style.[36]

A person may choose to completely cover an old tattoo with black ink with a simple boxy shape[38] or a "blackout" tattoo design.[39] Flesh tones are generally ineffective for cover-ups, as they lack the translucence of untattooed skin and are rarely able to cover up dark colors.[40]^: 68

Cover-up designs will always be bigger in size compared to the previous design, as it helps to hide the design.[36] Some of the previous tattoo may still be partially visible to a person familiar with the original design.[36] Special photography techniques, including infrared photography, may also be able to detect the underlying tattoo design.[1][41]