tattoo Fashion 30 Before-And-After Pictures Of Tattoo Cover-Ups

You can plan your tattoo carefully, but there’s no promise you’ll love it ten years later. Trends change, ink fades, and your style may grow in a different direction.That’s why many people worry about tattoo regret before getting inked. Still, for some, it’s all about the memory behind it. “No ragrets,” right?

No matter how much thought you put into a tattoo, there’s no guarantee you’re still going to love it in 10 years. Times change, ink fades, and your taste may not be stagnant. But “no ragrets,” right?For those of us who start having second thoughts about our pieces of ink after the freshness wears off, there are thankfully some creative artists out there who will be happy to replace them with new masterpieces. Below, you’ll find some of the best tattoo cover-ups that have been shared in the Fixed Tattoos subreddit, so enjoy scrolling through and be sure to make note of any corrections you might like to put on your own canvas!

#1 How Good Will Cover Up Tattoo Like This Look After It’s Healed Up?

#2 Coverup In Progress

#3 Large Scale Blackwork Cover Up Client Was Relieved To Have This Old Image Gone

#4 My Space Sleeve Was Just Finished

#5 Absolute Witchcraft By Ange Pele At Cloak And Daggers Tattoo In London

#6 Process Of Covering Up A Tattoo That I Wasn’t Happy With

The Fixed Tattoos subreddit is a supportive and creative community for people who want to improve old, faded, or poorly done tattoos. Started in March 2018, the group has grown to more than 30,000 members who share pictures of bad tattoos that were fixed beautifully. Members post impressive cover-ups, ask for advice on improving their existing ink, and share “true fixes,” which focus on correcting the original design instead of completely covering it with new artwork. For anyone dealing with tattoo regret or hiding unwanted ink, this community offers inspiration, practical ideas, and real examples of how an old tattoo can be transformed into something fresh and meaningful.

#7 Love The Beautiful Mandala Work My Artist Used To Revamp My Old Ink @jerkydoo On Ig

#8 Finally Got Part Of My Coverup Done

#9 8 Years Later, I Finally Got My Elephant All Fixed Up

When it comes to having a tattoo that you hate, there are a few courses of action you can take: live with the regrettable piece and hope it grows on you, book some laser-removal sessions, or cover it up with something you actually love. Removal has become increasingly popular over the years, as searches on Google for “tattoo removal” increased 40% between 2020 and 2021. But the process can be painful, expensive, and you might not want to completely remove the artwork from your body.

#10 Turned My Spermy Clouds Into Some Pretty Peonies

#11 First Session Cover Up!

#12 Off Center Cross Coverup

If you’re more interested in fixing or covering a bad tattoo than completely eliminating it, you’re not alone. According to Kenneth “K-Bar” Restrepo, owner of Leathernecks Tattoo in Brooklyn, cover-ups account for at least half of his company’s business. And apparently, an old and faded tattoo is the perfect piece to transform into something new. “It’s easier to cover an older tattoo,” Restrepo told Men’s journal.“The ink tends to settle into your skin after some time. And if you did them a while ago, the quality of ink has changed.”

#13 From A Spur-Of-The-Moment Tattoo At 18 That I Had Often Forgotten About To A Beautiful Tattoo That I’m Proud Of

#14 Cover Up After 5yrs Of Regret

#15 Recommended From Comments On R/Tattoo. Started Cover-Up In 2018. Finished On Tuesday (The 1st.)

It’s also wise to take your time, do some research and figure out exactly what you’d like to replace your old tattoo with before consulting an artist. They can help you craft the perfect piece, but Restrepo says the more sure you are of what you want, the better. “[Clients] often come in thinking, ‘Okay, I have a circular tattoo, maybe you can do a black sun. I have lettering, so maybe I can do bigger lettering,’” he explained. “They should come in with what they actually want. Give me a subject, and it’s my job to make sure it works.”

#16 We Did A Little Cover Up. Done By Andrew Edlin In Spokane Washington

#17 Anubis Was In Desperate Need Of A Makeover

#18 I Finally Feel Comfortable With What Is On My Arm

Clients should also be aware that a good quality cover up will likely be more expensive than the original piece, but it’s worth it to have something you really love on your skin. “Ninety percent of the time, if the guy’s willing to give you a bargain, it’s because he’s not busy,” Restrepo told Men’s Journal. Resist the urge to book with the first artist available or the cheapest one. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for with tattoos.

#19 Chaos Wheel Before And After (Same Artist ~20yrs Apart)

#20 Cover Up Is Now Completed And I Couldn’t Be Happier

#21 Got This Coverup Today

There are many factors to consider when deciding to cover up a tattoo from your past, including what colors you want to use for your new ink. According to tattooDo, the most common color choices for cover-ups are blues, browns and blacks because these are the best at covering up old ink. On the other hand, shades of red, yellow and orange should typically be avoided, as they aren’t always strong enough to hide a different shade of ink. However, if you want to go lighter with your cover-up tattoo, a few sessions of laser removal can help to fade the original piece.

#22 My Fixed Tattoo

#23 Black It Out But Make It Pretty

#24 Got This Covered Up

If you’re looking to fix a bad tattoo, you should also decide whether you’d like to completely cover it, reinvent the old tattoo or just blast over it. One adorable example tattooDoprovides of a creative reinvention is a low quality pikachu tattoo that’s been turned into an adorable pikachu painting a self-portrait. This idea may not fix every unfortunate tattoo, but it’s a great reminder to think outside the box when designing a tattoo to fix an old mistake.

#25 Bye Bye Wonky Blown-Out Compass!

#26 Before And After

#27 Before And After

Are you feeling inspired to give one of your old tattoos new life, pandas? Whether you got it when you were 18 or it’s just healed, it’s never a bad idea to try to fix a tattoo that you hate. Enjoy scrolling through the rest of these pics, and be sure to upvote the ones that inspire you to correct your own pieces. Then, if you’re interested in seeing even more photos from the Fixed Tattoos subreddit, you can check out Bored Panda’s last article on the same topic

#28 2 Months Apart. On The Left, Done For Very Cheap Price – Took 2 Sessions, 10 Hours Total

Fixed by the artist who created the design originally, who was quoting double the price. He did it in under 2 hours. Good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good

#29 I Couldn’t Be More Stoked With The Results! Wonky Lines Cleaned Up, Added Some Dimension And A Sun To Cover The Multiple Blow Outs