This tattoo cover up has been over 20 years in the making
It’s always exciting for me to get big new projects for laser tattoo removal! Our newest project is a large piece intended for a tattoo cover up, so our goal will be to lighten this as much as possible into a gray wash type tone. This will allow my client to choose any tattoo artist they desire for their cover up, and get a great result that will last for many years to come. This is my first post saying farewell to this cat, and I’ll document the journey from start to finish.
This cat piece is around 20 years old and roughly 10″ wide by 8″ tall. Colors on this tattoo to be removed include black, grey, green and purple. I would consider the ink saturation level to be medium to heavy. I’m estimating that laser removal sessions will probably range from 4-8 depending on how their body and ink respond to the process.
3 factors that effect laser tattoo removal results for a tattoo cover up:
- Health of the person: Your health plays a large role when you get laser tattoo removal- blood flow is everything! This means that underlying health problems or those that smoke may cause laser tattoo removal to be a slower process. After all, laser tattoo removal blasts the ink in your skin, so that it can be broken down by your body and then processed out. Any extra burden like smoking can slow this process down.
- Age of the tattoo: Tattoos that are 10 years or older are prime candidates for laser tattoo removal. The sun and time have already lightened up the tattoo for us. This isn’t to say we can’t remove newer tattoos, because it’s definitely possible. The process may take a little longer, but results depend on multiple factors. Our buddy the cat here is a 20+ year old tattoo, which ensures we will see great results within the first 2-3 lightening sessions. Lots of us have made questionable ink choices- if you have a really old tattoo you hate, it’s typically easier to get rid of those. Many of my clients didn’t consider laser tattoo removal until they learned they could lighten up their old tattoos to get a tattoo cover up. This has now become the go to option for many people who desire to renew their canvas. Tattoos are no longer permanent, and our technology ensures the integrity of your skin so it can be covered with something you love.
- Ink Density: The heaviness of the ink can speed up or slow down the process. As you can see, we have some pretty heavy ink on the cat’s head, as well as some thick line work throughout this tattoo. If you notice how “fuzzy” the tattoo looks, that gives the impression of broken down ink, which definitely plays in our favor when we’re looking to laser this old tattoo. Time and sun exposure can cause this process to accelerate, and if you have a tattoo that you hate looking like this, you’re in a good position to be considering laser tattoo removal.
As we work on this tattoo removal process I’ll be updating you with new posts to show you the progress each month on as we laser it away, to monitor how well the tattoo removal treatments are working. You’ll also get to see the coverup process including the drawing, stencil and tattoo progress as it goes. I’m excited to see how this one turns out. Stay tuned!
Cheers!
-Jim