View source for Cover-up tattoo

{{short description|Tattoo that covers an earlier tattoo, scar, or skin condition}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
[[File:Bellerophon Forearm Black and White Cover Up Tattoo.jpg|thumb|A tattoo of the lyric "[[You'll Never Walk Alone|Youll&nbsp;[''sic''] Never Walk Alone]]" and the tattoo of [[Bellerophon]] that covered it up.|alt=Left: "Youll Never Walk Alone" in cursive. Right: An intricate dark grayscale image of Bellerophon]]
'''Cover-up tattoos''' are those done over one or more previous [[tattoo]]s, [[scar]]s, or [[skin condition]]s.

People cover up old tattoos for a variety of reasons, such as that the tattoos were references to relationships that have ended, the tattoos were nonconsensual, or the tattoos relate to gangs or hate speech. Cover-ups after breakups have received particular attention due to high-profile cases involving celebrities. Cover-ups are one of the two main options of removing an unwanted tattoo, the other being [[tattoo removal|laser removal]]. Covering up an unwanted tattoo is generally cheaper, less painful and an overall easier solution than tattoo removal.<ref name=":10">{{cite journal |last1=Bryson |first1=David |last2=Wright |first2=Jonathan |last3=Barker |first3=Kimberley |title=The identification of tattoo designs under cover-up tattoos using digital infrared photography |journal=Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine |date=December 2013 |volume=36 |issue=3–4 |pages=104–110 |doi=10.3109/17453054.2013.851654 |pmid=24252142}}</ref>{{rp|p=104}}

A decorative cover-up tattoo can obscure a scar or skin condition with personally meaningful art, making it an alternative to more flesh-like [[Medical tattoo|paramedical tattoo]]s. For example, in lieu of reconstruction post-[[mastectomy]], a person may choose to get a decorative tattoo over their scars. [[Self-harm]] scars are another common target for cover-ups.

Both scars and old [[tattoo ink]] present additional challenges for a tattoo artist. Some tattoo artists specialize in cover-ups, and some give free cover-ups for cases such as hate symbols, human trafficking tattoos, and self-harm scars.

== Contexts ==

=== Unwanted past tattoos ===
[[File:ERASING_The_HATE_-_One_TATTOO_At_A_Time.webm|thumb|thumbtime=93|A former gang member has a white supremacist tattoo (already partly covered up) transformed into a [[dharmachakra]]]]
A person may seek a cover-up tattoo if they wish to distance themself from existing tattoos. The simplest reason is that they do not like how a tattoo appears on their body.<ref>{{Cite web |last=King |first=Olivia |date=2023-08-21 |title=Ingenious Cover-Up Tattoos: Unveiling Tattooing's Underrated Artistry |url=https://inkedmag.com/original-news/ingenious-cover-up-tattoos-unveiling-tattooings-underrated-artistry/ |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[Inked (magazine)|Inked]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In particular, cover-ups are associated with regret for the original tattoo.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Preston |first=Devon |date=2018-11-12 |title=What to Do About Tattoo Regret |url=https://inkedmag.com/tattoo-artists/what-to-do-about-tattoo-regret/ |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[Inked (magazine)|Inked]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hopkins |first=A. R. |date=2023-07-26 |title=What To Expect When You Go For A Tattoo Coverup |url=https://www.glam.com/1348944/what-expect-tattoo-coverup/ |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[Glam.com|Glam]] |language=en-US}}</ref>  A 2013 study of tattoo removal and cover-up recipients found that regret often stems from dissatisfaction with the narrative that the tattoo represents, either due to the tattoo not being meaningful or to the symbolism being unsatisfying.<ref name=madfis-arford>{{cite journal |last1=Madfis |first1=Eric |last2=Arford |first2=Tammi |title=The dilemmas of embodied symbolic representation: Regret in contemporary American tattoo narratives |journal=[[The Social Science Journal]] |date=1 December 2013 |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=547–556 |doi=10.1016/j.soscij.2013.07.012}}</ref>{{rp|p=551}} Tattoo artists who do cover-ups are commonly asked to cover tattoos related to a person's past relationship.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Deborah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDq1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 |title=The Tattoo Project: Commemorative Tattoos, Visual Culture, and the Digital Archive |date=2016-12-15 |publisher=Canadian Scholars |isbn=978-1-55130-945-3 |pages=81 |language=en}}</ref>  People also cover up tattoos related to non-romantic relationships, such as relatives from whom they have become estranged.<ref name=madfis-arford/>{{rp|p=553}}

As tattoos grew more mainstream [[1990s in fashion|in the 1990s]] and even more [[2000s in fashion#Tattoos and piercings|in the 2000s]], celebrity tattoos received significant attention, especially cover-ups of couples tattoos after breakups.<ref name="shaw">{{Cite web |last=Shaw |first=Gabbi |title=22 times celebrities had to cover up their regrettable tattoos |url=https://www.insider.com/celebrity-tattoo-cover-ups-2018-4 |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lubitz |first=Rachel |title=6 Celebrities Who Covered Up Their Tattoos After A Breakup |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214065/celebrities-covering-up-relationship-tattoos |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Refinery29]] |publisher=Vice Media |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Barron |first=Lee |title=Tattoos and Popular Culture: Cultural Representations in Ink |date=2020 |publisher=Emerald Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-83909-218-3 |series=SocietyNow |location= |page=155}}</ref> After breaking up with actress [[Winona Ryder]] in 1993, actor [[Johnny Depp]] partially covered up a "Winona Forever" tattoo, to read "[[wikt:wino|Wino]] Forever".<ref>{{Cite web |last=VanHoose |first=Benjamin |date=2022-06-28 |title=Winona Ryder Describes Her Life in '90s Post Johnny Depp Split as 'My Girl, Interrupted Real Life' |url=https://people.com/movies/winona-ryder-describes-her-life-in-90s-post-johnny-depp-split-as-my-girl-interrupted-real-life/ |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |language=en}}</ref> Further notable post-breakup cover-ups include [[Denise Richards]] and [[Angelina Jolie]].<ref name="shaw" />

[[2010s in fashion#Body modifications|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 "[[Los Angeles|LA]]" after their breakup.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fernández |first=Alexia |date=2017-07-04 |title=Kylie Jenner Unveils New Tattoo Replacing Lowercase 'T' |url=https://people.com/celebrity/kylie-jenner-replaces-tyga-tattoo/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |language=en}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Obell |first=Sylvia |date=2020-10-27 |title=Nick Cannon Covers Up 'Mariah' Tattoo in a Big Way |url=http://www.essence.com/news/nick-cannon-covers-mariah-tattoo-big-way/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Essence (magazine)|Essence]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Comedian [[Pete Davidson]] and singer [[Ariana Grande]] got a combined 16 tattoos relating to each other before breaking off their engagement in 2018,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lubitz |first=Rachel |title=16 Tattoos Later — What Will Happen To Ariana & Pete's Shared Ink? |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214003/ariana-grande-pete-davidson-tattoos-breakup |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Refinery29]] |publisher=Vice Media |language=en}}</ref> then multiple cover-ups.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Henderson |first=Cydney |title=Ouch! Pete Davidson covers up matching Ariana Grande tattoo with the word 'CURSED' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/02/12/pete-davidson-covers-matching-ariana-grande-tattoo-cursed/2854260002/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[USA Today]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Hannah |date=2019-02-11 |title=Pete Davidson Just Savagely Covered an Ariana Tattoo with the Word 'Cursed' |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a26276636/pete-davidson-cursed-ariana-grande-tattoo-cover-up/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lubitz |first=Rachel |title=Pete Davidson Has Officially Started Covering Up His Ariana-Inspired Ink |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/11/216139/pete-davidson-h2gkmo-ariana-grande-tattoo-cover-up |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Refinery29]] |publisher=Vice Media |language=en}}</ref>

People also seek to cover up tattoos they received non-consensually. In the 17th century, the use of {{Transliteration|ja|[[irezumi kei]]}} (penal tattoos) for prisoners in Japan fell out of practice largely because released prisoners would cover them up with decorative designs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gilbert |first1=Steve |title=Tattoo History: A Source Book |date=2000 |publisher=[[Juno Books]] |location=New York City |isbn=9781890451073 |page=[https://archive.org/details/tattoohistorysou0000gilb/page/77 77] |ol=OL17006032M}}</ref> Some [[sex trafficking]] victims who are subjected to [[branding tattoo]]s later cover them up with chosen tattoos.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Guo |first1=Emily L. |last2=Kream |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Merlo |first3=Alisha |last4=Friedman |first4=Paul M. |date=January 2023 |title=Liberating more than light: Laser removal of branding tattoos is impactful in the recovery of sex trafficking survivors |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lsm.23612 |journal=Lasers in Surgery and Medicine |language=en |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=61–66 |doi=10.1002/lsm.23612 |pmid=36251250 |issn=0196-8092|url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{Rp|page=64}} In the United States and Canada, organizations including Survivor's Ink<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=64}} and Unbound<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Fiedler |first=Rebecca |date=2022-02-19 |title=Bryan tattoo artist creates cover-up pieces for branded survivors of human trafficking |url=https://www.kxxv.com/brazos/bryan-tattoo-artist-creates-cover-up-pieces-for-branded-survivors-of-human-trafficking |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[KXXV|25 News KXXV and KRHD]] |language=en}}</ref> facilitate such cover-ups.

Cover-ups can also be due to a change in what a person wants to be associated with, such as tattoos that convey religious views or connections to drugs or violence.<ref name=madfis-arford/>{{rp|pp=552–553}} A person may also not want to be associated with a particular work or artist; in one prominent example, many [[Harry Potter fans|''Harry Potter'' fans]] have covered tattoos related to the franchise due to author [[J. K. Rowling]]'s [[J. K. Rowling and transgender people|views on transgender issues]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=Gita |title=Fans Tell Us Why They Want to Cover Up Their Harry Potter Tattoos |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/fans-tell-us-why-they-want-to-cover-up-their-harry-potter-tattoos/ |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |date=1 July 2020 |language=en |department=Motherboard}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Monteil |first1=Abby |title=Fans are covering or removing their 'Harry Potter' tattoos after J.K. Rowling's comments about trans people |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/fans-removing-harry-potter-tattoos-jk-rowling-trans-comments-2020-6 |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=[[Business Insider]] |date=2020-06-16}}</ref><ref name="peters-2020">{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Alex |title=This illustrator is offering trans people free Harry Potter tattoo coverups |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/49549/1/this-illustrator-is-offering-trans-people-free-harry-potter-tattoo-coverups |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=[[Dazed]] |date=18 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Strapagiel |first1=Lauren |title=Trans People With 'Harry Potter' Tattoos Are Grappling With What To Do After J.K. Rowling's Anti-Trans Statements |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/harry-potter-tattoos-jk-rowling-transgender |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |date=12 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Tattoos that represent hateful views or affiliation with criminal groups are a frequent subject of cover-ups.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last1=Harmon |first1=Amy |authorlink1=Amy Harmon |last2=Burch |first2=Audra D. S. |date=2020-06-22 |title=White Americans Say They Are Waking Up to Racism. What Will It Add Up To? |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/us/racism-white-americans.html |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-08-30 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Austin |first=Emma |title=Kentucky tattoo shop is working to 'cover the hate' with free cover-ups of racist symbols |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/09/03/kentucky-tattoo-shop-offering-free-cover-ups-racist-hate-symbols/3379796001/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Courier Journal]] |location=Louisville, Kentucky |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Slanchik |first=Amy |date=2023-02-21 |title='Stop The Hate': Sand Springs Tattoo Parlor Helps More Than 100 People Cover Tattoos |url=https://www.newson6.com/story/63f554d90586b57fe20e92e4/stop-the-hate:-sand-springs-tattoo-parlor-helps-more-than-100-people-cover-tattoos- |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[News on 6 Now]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Bishop-Baldwin |first=Sharon |date=2023-01-26 |title=Free tattoo coverup event to replace hate now in its sixth year: 'How can you quit that?' |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/free-tattoo-coverup-event-to-replace-hate-now-in-its-sixth-year-how-can-you/article_1351575a-9bbe-11ed-81a2-f734733954d3.html |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=Tulsa World |language=en}}</ref> In the 1800s, prisoners on [[convict ship]]s from [[Great Britain]] to [[Van Diemen's Land]] (Tasmania) sometimes "over-tattooed" old tattoos with new designs that defied state efforts to track their tattoos as identifying marks.<ref name="CaplanIntro">{{Cite book |last1=Maxwell-Stewart |first1=Hamish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-c-EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA129 |title=Written on the Body: The Tattoo in European and American History |last2=Duffield |first2=Ian |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-691-05722-4 |editor-last=Caplan |editor-first=Jane |location=Princeton, NJ |pages=128–129 |contribution=Skin Deep Devotions: Religious Tattoos and Convict Transportation to Australia}}</ref> [[Alphonse Bertillon]]'s ''Signaletic Instructions'', translated into English in 1896, contains instructions on identifying former prisoners who have had their tattoos "[[Overprint|surcharged]]" (covered up) or removed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bertillon |first=Alphonse |author-link=Alphonse Bertillon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KG1Nl2ytKcIC&pg=RA2-PA216 |title=Signaletic Instructions: Including the Theory and Practice of Anthropometrical Identification |editor-last=McClaughry |editor-first=Robert Wilson |editor-link=Robert Wilson McClaughry |translator-last=Snell |translator-first=Merwin-Marie<!--p. ix-->  |publisher=Werner Company |year=1896 |pages=216 |language=en}}</ref> Due to rising anti-gang enforcement from the 1990s onwards, it has become increasingly common for gangsters to cover up their [[gang tattoo]]s despite still being members.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schmidt |first1=Linda M. |last2=O'Reilly |first2=James T. |title=Gangs and Law Enforcement: A Guide for Dealing with Gang-related Violence |date=2007 |publisher=Charles C Thomas |location=Springfield, Ill., U.S. |isbn=9780398077488 |page=10}}</ref>

=== Scars and skin conditions===
{{about|section=yes|scar and skin condition cover-ups of a decorative nature|paramedical tattoos more generally|Medical tattoo#Paramedical tattoos}}
[[File:Becker Cassisi breasts 4, after.png|left|thumb|A decorative tattoo over [[mastectomy|{{shy|mas|tec|to|my}}]] scars{{crossreference|{{sp}}(see [[:File:Becker_Cassisi_breasts_4,_before.png|before image]])}}, chosen in lieu of restorative tattoos that replicate the [[nipple]] and [[areola]]{{crossreference|{{sp}}(see [[:File:Becker Cassisi breasts 1, after.png|example]])}}<ref name=becker/>{{rp|p=11}}|alt=A woman's breasts after a mastectomy, tattooed over with bright-colored flowers]]
The use of flesh-like [[medical tattoos]] to cover up [[skin condition]]s 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,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Garg |first1=Geeta |last2=Thami |first2=Gurvinder P. |title=Micropigmentation: Tattooing for Medical Purposes |journal=Dermatologic Surgery |date=August 2005 |volume=31 |issue=8 |pages=928–931 |doi=10.1097/00042728-200508000-00007}}</ref>{{rp|p=930}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vassileva |first1=Snejina |last2=Hristakieva |first2=Evgeniya |title=Medical applications of tattooing |journal=[[Clinics in Dermatology]] |date=July 2007 |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=367–374 |doi=10.1016/j.clindermatol.2007.05.014|pmid=17697919 }}</ref>{{rp|pp=368–369}} or even to [[Galen]], who executed tattoos of sorts over [[corneal opacities]] in 150 CE.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ziegler|first1=S. Lewis|title=Multicolor Tattooing of the Cornea.|journal=[[Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society]]|date=1922|volume=20|pages=71–87|pmid=16692612|pmc=1318311}}</ref>{{rp|p=81}}

In the 21st century, decorative cover-up tattoos became a more popular approach to obscuring scars, including [[burn]]s, [[self-harm]] scars, [[surgical]] scars, and [[stretch marks]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moulton |first1=Kieran Lane |title=Exploring tattoo artists' understanding of decorative non-medical professional tattooing as a method of scar camouflage and decoration |journal=Psychology, Health & Medicine |date=7 February 2023 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=540–547 |doi=10.1080/13548506.2022.2057556 |doi-access=free|pmid=35341392 }}</ref>{{rp|pp=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.<ref name=becker/>{{rp|p=5}} A 2008 case report,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Spyropoulou |first1=G.A. |last2=Fatah |first2=F. |title=Decorative tattooing for scar camouflage: patient innovation |journal=[[Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery]] |date=October 2009 |volume=62 |issue=10 |pages=e353–e355 |doi=10.1016/j.bjps.2008.01.043|pmid=18640088 }}</ref> one of the first medical articles on the subject, noted patients taking the initiative in receiving decorative cover-ups.<ref name=becker/>{{rp|pp=5–6}} In the early 2010s, decorative tattoos emerged as a trend after [[breast cancer]]–related [[mastectomy]], particularly in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Locke |first1=Katherine |title=Women choose body art over reconstruction after cancer battle |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=7 August 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/07/mastectomy-tattoo-breast-cancer |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Some [[transmasculine]] people who receive mastectomies also opt for decorative cover-ups.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=BJ |title=Gender-affirming tattooing can bring post-op euphoria |url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/top-surgery-nipple-tattoo-258202 |access-date=16 March 2024 |work=[[Xtra (magazine)|Xtra]] |date=17 October 2023 |language=en-CA}}</ref> 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.<ref name=becker/>{{rp|pp=6–7}}
[[File:Growth (tattoo) and Up the Ladder to the Roof (tattoo), cropped and retouched.jpg|thumb|Two approaches to self-harm cover-ups: an image of a [[Luna moth]] obscures burn scars {{crossreference|(see [[:File:Self-harm burns pre-coverup cropped and rotated.jpg|before image]]}}); two black lines {{shy|trans|form}} cutting scars into a {{shy|rep|re|sen|ta|tion}} of a ladder.]]
Similarly, it can be difficult to hide [[vitiligo]] with tattooed pigment, and so some people choose to get artistic tattoos as a distraction.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=John E. |date=2015-03-03 |title=Should someone with vitiligo get a tattoo? |url=https://www.umassmed.edu/vitiligo/blog/blog-posts1/2015/march/tattoos-and-vitiligo/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Speaking of Vitiligo |publisher=[[UMass Chan Medical School]] |language=en}}</ref> Tattoos are recommended only for people whose conditions are stable, as tattooing may itself trigger vitiligo.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Glassy |first1=Crystal M. |last2=Glassy |first2=Matthew S. |last3=Aldasouqi |first3=Saleh |title=Tattooing: Medical uses and problems |journal=[[Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine]] |date=November 2012 |volume=79 |issue=11 |pages=761–770 |doi=10.3949/ccjm.79a.12016|doi-access=free |pmid=23125325 }}</ref>{{rp|p=763}} In 2021, a research team developed a system to print customized [[temporary tattoo]]s onto the bodies of children with vitiligo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huang |first1=Muling |last2=Zhang |first2=Lingyan |last3=Liu |first3=Lijuan |last4=Zhu |first4=Pinqi |last5=Zhang |first5=Chao |last6=Sonchaeng |first6=Pitchayapat |last7=Ying |first7=Weiqiang |last8=Wang |first8=Pinhao |last9=Hu |first9=Yuqi |last10=Ying |first10=Fangtian |last11=Yao |first11=Cheng |title=Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter=ColorGuardian: Customize Skin Tattoos for Children with Vitiligo |date=8 May 2021 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1145/3411763.3451615 |isbn=9781450380959 |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351426930 |via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref>

For people with self-harm scars, cover-up tattoos can be a way of moving past trauma.<ref name="sharma">{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Anchal |date=2023-04-17 |others=Video and photos by Adrienne Row-Smith |title=Pain into Art: For Taneeta Taljit, tattooing over self-harm scars offers hope |url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/tattooing-over-self-harm |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kapela |first1=Kimberly |title='It was almost like closing a chapter in my life': A healing journey through tattooing |url=https://columbiachronicle.com/it-was-almost-like-closing-a-chapter-in-my-life-a-healing-journey-through-tattooing |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=[[The Columbia Chronicle]]}}</ref> One motivation for tattooing an area may be to discourage oneself from self-harming in it again,<ref name="givissi">{{cite thesis |last=Givissi |first=Kornilia |date=2016 |title=Splits and integrations: A phenomenological exploration of self-harm marks and scars |url=https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/15151/ |degree=DPsych |publisher=[[City University London]] |access-date=2023-11-26}}</ref>{{rp|p=105}} although some may nonetheless cut on top of a tattoo.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gutridge |first1=Kerry |last2=Dunlop |first2=Brendan J |last3=Patterson |first3=Megan |last4=Mitchell |first4=Heather |last5=Philbin |first5=Jennifer |last6=Walker |first6=Tammi |last7=Ranote |first7=Sandeep |last8=Robinson |first8=Louise |last9=Abel |first9=Kathryn M |title=An exploratory study of women prisoners' attitudes towards their self-harm and the use of medical skin camouflage |journal=[[The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology]] |date=2 January 2019 |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=167–184 |doi=10.1080/14789949.2018.1530285|doi-access=free }}</ref>{{rp|p=176}} Some people choose to incorporate self-harm scars into tattoo designs, for instance making them look like scratch marks from a dragon.<ref name="givissi" />{{rp|pp=105–107}} Public figures with self-harm cover-up tattoos include [[Paris Jackson]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Anne |title=Paris Jackson says tattoos cover scars from past 'self-hatred' |url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2016/06/16/Paris-Jackson-says-tattoos-cover-scars-from-past-self-hatred/6351466086958/ |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=[[United Press International]] |language=en}}</ref> and [[Pete Davidson]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Preston |first1=Devon |title=Pete Davidson Opens Up About Self Harm and His Tattoos |url=https://inkedmag.com/original-news/petedavidson-charlamagnethagod/ |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=[[Inked (magazine)|Inked]] |date=25 February 2020}}</ref> Self-harm cover-ups raise the complication that the pain of the tattoo process may trigger memories of self-harming.<ref name=sharma/>

Like past tattoos, intentional scars may also be covered due to their associations. For instance, actress [[India Oxenberg]] covered the [[Human branding|brand]] she received in the [[NXIVM]] cult with a [[mandala]] design.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Oxenberg |first1=India |authorlink1=India Oxenberg |others=As told to Rose Minutaglio |date=19 October 2020 |title=I Was In NXIVM For 7 Years. Here's the Truth |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a34372716/india-oxenberg-nxivm-interview/ |magazine=[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Miller |first1=Julie |title=India Oxenberg Opens Up About Her Family's NXIVM Nightmare: 'It's Like Freaking Shakespeare' |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/india-oxenberg-opens-up-about-her-familys-nxivm-nightmare |access-date=16 April 2024 |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=13 October 2020}}</ref>

==Methods==
=== Technique ===
[[File:MY CLIENT ALMOST TAPPED OUTCRAZY COVER UP TATTOO by mr reyes ink.webm|thumb|left|thumbtime=22:18|An artist tattoos a detailed face and seascape over a stylized 'R'.]]
Covering a previous tattoo is more difficult than creating a fresh tattoo, so it requires skill and experience.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Massacre |first=Megan |author-link=Megan Massacre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_CdDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA212 |title=The Art of Tattoo: A Tattoo Artist's Inspirations, Designs, and Hard-Won Advice |date=2019-07-16 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed |isbn=978-0-399-57878-6 |pages=212–214 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":8">{{cite book |last1=Kristensen |first1=Lars |chapter=The Technique and Craftsmanship of Tattooing in the Professional Tattoo Parlour |title=Tattooed Skin and Health |series=Current Problems in Dermatology |date=24 March 2015 |volume=48 |pages=31–36 |doi=10.1159/000369176 |isbn=978-3-318-02776-1 |doi-access=free  |pmid=25833621 |editor-last=Serup |editor-first=J. |editor2-last=Kluger |editor2-first=N. |editor3-last=Bäumler |editor3-first=W.}}</ref>{{rp|pp=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.<ref name=":8" />{{rp|pp=34–35}}

Poorly applied, faded, or light tattoos are the easiest to cover, especially tattoos that are at least several years old.<ref name=":9" /> A person may choose to lighten a tattoo using [[Tattoo removal|laser removal]] before getting a cover-up design.<ref name=":9" />

When tattooing over scars, especially raised scars, it can be difficult for an artist to get the ink to stay in place.<ref name=":9" /> As a result, some artists are averse to the practice. Canadian tattoo artist Becky Jónsson, who has cover-ups over {{not a typo|their}}<!--they/them, see source--> own [[dermatillomania]] scars and specializes in scarred skin, told [[CBC News]] in 2023 that many clients choose to continue with tattoos even if their tissue cannot hold ink to the desired degree.<ref name="sharma" />

=== Design ===
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<!--image 1-->| image1            = Becker Cassisi arm, before.png
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| footer            = A man's arm before and after receiving a decorative medical tattoo over a large burn scar<ref name=becker>{{cite journal |last1=Becker |first1=Stacie J. |last2=Cassisi |first2=Jeffrey E. |title=Applications of Medical Tattooing: A Systematic Review of Patient Satisfaction Outcomes and Emerging Trends |journal=[[Aesthetic Surgery Journal|Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum]] |date=1 September 2021 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=ojab015 |doi=10.1093/asjof/ojab015|doi-access=free|pmid=34159314 |pmc=8214112 }} {{free-content attribution|license=[[CC-BY 4.0]]|this=yes}}</ref>{{rp|p=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.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Miranda |first=Michelle D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0MxPDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 |title=Forensic Analysis of Tattoos and Tattoo Inks |date=2015-09-10 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4987-3643-5 |pages=65–67 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":9" />

A person may choose to completely cover an old tattoo with black ink with a simple boxy shape<ref name=":11" /> or a [[Blackout tattoo|"blackout" tattoo design]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cochrane |first=Lauren |date=2016-03-29 |title=Dark art: the rise of the blackout tattoo |url=http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2016/mar/29/rise-blackout-tattoo-trend-internet |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Flesh tone]]s are generally ineffective for cover-ups, as they lack the [[translucence]] of untattooed skin and are rarely able to cover up dark colors.<ref>{{cite book |last1=De Cuyper |first1=Christa |chapter=Complications of Cosmetic Tattoos  |title=Tattooed Skin and Health |series=Current Problems in Dermatology |date=2015 |volume=48 |pages=61–70 |doi=10.1159/000369188 |isbn=978-3-318-02776-1 |doi-access=free  |pmid=25833626 |editor-last=Serup |editor-first=J. |editor2-last=Kluger |editor2-first=N. |editor3-last=Bäumler |editor3-first=W.}}</ref>{{rp|p=68}}

Cover-up designs are typically bigger in size compared to the previous design, as it helps to hide the design.<ref name=":9" /> Some of the previous tattoo may still be partially visible to a person familiar with the original design.<ref name=":9" /> Special photography techniques, including [[infrared photography]], may also be able to detect the underlying tattoo design.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Holz |first1=F. |last2=Birngruber |first2=C. G. |last3=Ramsthaler |first3=F. |last4=Verhoff |first4=M. A. |date=2019-01-31 |title=Beneath cover-up tattoos: possibilities and limitations of various photographic techniques |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30706194/ |journal=[[International Journal of Legal Medicine]] |volume=134 |issue=2 |pages=697–701 |doi=10.1007/s00414-019-02007-2 |issn=1437-1596 |pmid=30706194}}</ref>

Individuals may choose a new design that does not completely obscure the previous tattoo, a style known as "blast-over" tattooing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Molly |date=2023-08-23 |title=Blast-overs: the tattoo trend that embraces your body art regrets |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/60649/1/blast-overs-the-tattoo-trend-challenging-the-permanence-of-body-art |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=[[Dazed (magazine)|Dazed]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Practices ==
[[File:Bert Grimm, Archiv Manfred Kohrs.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bert Grimm]] business card, circa 1940, advertising "old or poor tattoos repaired or covered"|alt=See caption]]
Tattoo artists may offer discounted or complimentary sessions for cover-up tattoos. Some artists have gained note for doing so for sexual trafficking survivors.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adamakos |first=Tess |date=2018-12-17 |title=Tattoo Parlor Gives Free Cover-Ups to Sex Trafficking Survivors |url=https://inkedmag.com/tattoos/free-cover-ups-to-sex-trafficking-survivors/ |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[Inked (magazine)|Inked]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Others do so for covering self-harm scars.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Preston |first=Devon |date=2018-12-07 |title=Tattoo Artist Changes the Lives of People Who Self-Harm With Free Tattoos |url=https://inkedmag.com/original-news/tattoo-artist-changes-the-lives-of-people-who-self-harm-with-free-tattoos/ |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=[[Inked (magazine)|Inked]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gowdy |first1=ShaCamree |title=Meet the young Houston artist who offers free self-harm cover-up tattoos |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-Fran-Fine-Tattoo-Studio-self-harm-art-15725649.php |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=2022-02-09}}</ref>

One tattoo shop in [[Kentucky]], United States, which began offering free cover-ups of racist tattoos in the wake of the [[murder of George Floyd]], received 20 requests in about a month.<ref name=":5" /> Three months later, a different Kentucky shop with the same policy reported doing four to six cover-ups a week of racist tattoos. They deferred excess demand to other shops, some of which requested donations to [[Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation|Black Lives Matter]] in lieu of payment.<ref name=":6" /> In the U.S. state of [[Oklahoma]], an annual event offers free cover-ups of hateful and gang-related tattoos, including those associated with [[Juggalo]] culture (due to the existence of [[Juggalo gangs]]).<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":4" /> The event's organizer noted that "Just because you hate your ex-wife, doesn't make that a hate tattoo" that will be covered up for free.<ref name=":4" />

A tattoo applied on top of another tattoo can make [[tattoo removal|laser removal]] more challenging, because lasers target specific wavelengths, and in the same location there may be multiple pigments with different wavelengths.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=Yvonne |chapter=Laser Tattoo Removal, Precautions, and Unwanted Effects |date=2015 |url=https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/369191  |title=Tattooed Skin and Health |series=Current Problems in Dermatology |volume=48 |pages=88–96 |access-date=2023-09-03 |publisher=S. Karger |language=en |doi=10.1159/000369191 |isbn=978-3-318-02776-1 |last2=Troilius Rubin |first2=Agneta |editor-last=Serup |editor-first=J. |editor2-last=Kluger |editor2-first=N. |editor3-last=Bäumler |editor3-first=W.|doi-access=free |pmid=25833629 }}</ref>

{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{commons-inline}}
{{Tattoo|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Tattooing]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]