Laser treatment before a cover-up tattoo

Many might think that laser treatments for tattoos are only for those who dislike their tattoos and want to remove them completely. However, the truth is that some people actually love tattoos and want to create a new one on top of their old one—a cover-up.

A common reason for undergoing laser treatment on tattoos is to fade an older tattoo in preparation for a new and improved design.

If you have an older tattoo and are considering a cover-up, it’s worth giving tattoo removal some extra thought beforehand. Cover-ups are complex, and for a tattoo artist, it becomes an additional challenge to match one design with another. Areas where you may wish for very light colors may not be feasible if there is a dark ink underneath.

Many tattoos are too dark (black or blue ink) to cover effectively, and in such cases, the old tattoo needs to be faded with laser treatment before a new tattoo can be applied.

The number of treatments required will depend on how old your old tattoo is and which colors you wish to have in your new design. Generally, you won’t need as many sessions as you would if you wanted to completely remove the tattoo. So if your goal is to do a cover-up over an old tattoo, the treatments will be fewer. Our laser specialists will always provide you with a price estimate and the number of sessions required when you book a consultation.