Cast Iron Tattoo Studio

5 Options for Tattoos You No Longer Love

Not every tattoo stands the test of time. Maybe your tattoo has faded over the years, the lines have spread or the colours aren’t what they used to be. Maybe you still like the original idea but your style has changed, or perhaps you simply don’t like the tattoo at all anymore.

The good news is that you may have more options than you think.

At Cast Iron Tattoo, our artists regularly work with existing tattoos, from simple refreshes and reworks through to full cover-ups and larger blackout projects. What will work best depends on your existing tattoo, how dark or saturated it is, its size and placement and what you’d ultimately like the area to look like.

Here are five options we may recommend:

1. Tattoo Rework or Refresh

If you still like your tattoo but it’s looking a little tired, faded or dated, a rework may be all it needs. Older tattoos naturally change over time. Colours can fade, blacks can soften and once-crisp lines can become less defined. A rework involves working with the tattoo that’s already there rather than trying to hide it completely.

Depending on the piece, our artists may be able to:

• Re-saturate faded blacks and colours
• Introduce brighter or bolder colours
• Tidy or redefine areas where lines have spread
• Add shading and tonal variation to give a flat tattoo more dimension
• Add highlights to create depth and the appearance of a light source
• Add new elements such as flowers, foliage, ornamental details, frames, lettering or names
• Expand the original tattoo into a larger, more complete piece

A rework can also be a great option if you don’t necessarily dislike your tattoo, but your personal taste has changed since you got it. Adding new elements around an existing piece can help bring it closer to the style you love now without completely covering the original tattoo.

2. Full Tattoo Cover-Up

If you no longer want to see your existing tattoo at all, a full cover-up may be possible. A cover-up generally involves creating a custom tattoo specifically designed to sit over your existing piece and cleverly disguise it within the new design. And no, a cover-up doesn’t automatically mean you’ll end up with a giant dark blob!

While cover-ups do usually need to be larger than the original tattoo and certain areas may require darker or more saturated sections, an experienced artist can use strategic linework, shading, texture and placement to incorporate the old tattoo into the shadows and details of the new piece.

The amount of freedom we have with the new design will depend heavily on what’s underneath it. Size, colour, placement, age and how heavily saturated the original tattoo is will all influence what’s possible.

3. Laser Lightening + Cover-Up

Sometimes the best cover-up starts with making the existing tattoo a little less visible first. If your tattoo is particularly dark, bold or heavily saturated, a few sessions of laser tattoo removal can significantly increase your options when it comes to designing your new tattoo.

Importantly, this doesn’t necessarily mean having the tattoo completely removed.

Even partially lightening certain areas can give your artist much more freedom when designing the cover-up. It may allow for a softer, smaller or less heavily saturated new tattoo than would otherwise be possible. Laser does add some extra time to the process, but in the right circumstances it can make a huge difference to the final result.

We’ve partnered with Tattoo Removal Australia to give Cast Iron Tattoo clients 10% off their tattoo removal treatments, as well as a free personalised tattoo removal assessment.

Simply use our promotional code CAST10IRON when booking to receive your 10% discount*

4. Blackout Tattoo

For heavily tattooed areas or pieces that aren’t suitable for a traditional cover-up, blackout tattooing is another option.

As the name suggests, blackout tattooing involves saturating an area of skin with solid black ink, completely covering the tattoos underneath.

Blackout work requires careful technique to create consistent, even saturation across a large area. Depending on the size of the area, the existing tattoos and how your skin heals, the process may require multiple sessions with adequate healing time between appointments.

It’s definitely a bold option and not one to jump into lightly, but for the right person and the right project, a well-executed blackout can completely transform an area you’re no longer happy with.

5. Blast Over Tattoo

If completely hiding your old tattoo isn’t the goal, a blast over can be a great way to give an existing piece an entirely new look. Unlike a traditional cover-up, which is designed to disguise as much of the original tattoo as possible, a blast over intentionally allows parts of the old tattoo to remain visible underneath the new design. The new tattoo is generally created using strong lines, solid blackwork and high contrast so that it becomes the dominant design, while glimpses of the original tattoo show through underneath.

The result is a deliberately layered look where the old and new tattoos become part of the finished piece. Blast overs can work particularly well over older tattoos, collections of smaller pieces or areas where you’re happy to embrace a bolder, more alternative aesthetic.

Rather than trying to pretend the original tattoo was never there, a blast over works with it to create something completely new.

Which Option Is Right for Your Tattoo?

There isn’t one answer that works for every tattoo or every person.

Sometimes a tattoo that looks impossible to fix can be transformed with a relatively straightforward rework. Other pieces may need a carefully designed cover-up, some laser lightening first or a completely different approach. The best place to start is with a consultation.

Our artists can look at your existing tattoo, talk through what you do and don’t like about it and discuss what you’d ultimately like to achieve. From there, we can give you a realistic idea of what’s possible and which option is likely to give you the best result.

If you have an old tattoo you’d like refreshed, reworked or covered, send us an enquiry with a clear photo of your existing tattoo and some examples of what you’d like to achieve. You might have more options than you think!

*Cast Iron Tattoo may receive a referral payment when our promotional code is used.