Choose The Best Cover Up Tattoo Designs for Men

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Tattoos, in most cases, are a person’s way of expressing their unique personality and character.

Compared to their non-tattooed counterparts, people of all sexes and orientations perceived tattooed men as more masculine, dominant, and aggressive.

Likely inspired by these depictions of tattooed males, many men today are eager to get inked. In fact, some would get tired of their old tattoos and cover them up with newer, more contemporary ones.

You have complete creative control over what new tattoo design you’d like for the cover-up. Some inspiration might be found online.

Pearl Lemon Tattoos is the place to go in London if you need a tattoo artist that can create a unique cover-up design for you.

At our studio, we create tattoos for men that are trendy, modern, and suitable for masculine tastes. Whether it’s an arm sleeve, upper arm, chest, neck, or wrist tattoo cover up, we have you covered.

Schedule an appointment today.

Everything You Need To Know About Cover-Up Tattoos

Watching your tattoo fade or turn out differently than you had expected is heartbreaking. Covering an undesirable tattoo is a reasonable solution if you’re in that position.

If you slip up when tattooing your desired design, you will be relieved to know that a cover-up tattoo exists. Professional tattoo designers and artists will be able to give you an idea of the cover-up design and its coverage.

Young black woman with tattoos sits against wood wall.
Stylish woman making tattoo

What's A Cover-Up Tattoo?

When a new tattoo is placed over an existing one, it is called a cover-up. This is done when the original tattoo is no longer wanted or was poorly done.

As an alternative to laser tattoo removal, cover-ups can be applied anytime after the tattoo has been lightened.

If your previous tattoo is beginning to fade, you may want to consider getting a cover-up. Tattoos that are light or have faded can be touched up with minimal fuss using dark ink.

The only things you need to do are choose a design and book a consultation with a tattooist. The artist will give you additional advice on what factors to consider.

Also, picking the right design to cover up your old tattoo is crucial. You may also find that some proposed designs don’t appear to be the ideal cover-up to your existing tattoo.

What Makes Tattoo Cover-Ups Different From Tattoo Removal

If you’ve decided that a tattoo you got years ago is no longer a piece of who you are, you’ll find that your options for getting rid of it are limited to the removal or covering it up. 

The ideal choice will be based on your specific case, including the condition of the original tattoo, the colour and texture of your skin, and your artistic objectives. 

Laser Tattoo Removal

With laser tattoo removal, a laser is used to penetrate the skin and eliminate the ink from the tattoo. After being fragmented by the laser, the ink is readily absorbed by the body’s white blood cells. Repeated sessions with a laser can completely remove a tattoo.

On average, people need 10–12 sessions, each lasting 15 minutes, to achieve successful tattoo removal. The price of laser tattoo removal can vary widely based on size, form, ink shade, ink type, placement, and skin condition.

People who have served time in prison, were in a gang, were survivors of human trafficking, or wanted to eliminate racist or sexist tattoos can benefit from tattoo removal.

Tattoo Pain
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If you’ve got a tattoo on your hands, neck, or face as a reminder of a traumatic event from your past, laser tattoo removal may be the best option. Laser tattoo removal is safe and effective for people stuck in such situations. 

Many patients who have gotten laser tattoo removal report that the procedure completely erased all traces of the ink from their skin. Some people might notice a very faint pinkish hue where the tattoo once was. The ink density is typically so low that only a person who already knows there is a tattoo on their body would notice.

Cover Up Tattoo

Tattoo cover-ups entail getting a new tattoo designed to conceal an existing one. It borrows ideas from the original while freshly reimagining them.

A tattoo cover-up is a good option for someone who already has a tattoo in the desired location but would want a new, more modern design or just wishes to conceal the old one

A person who got a stick-and-poke tattoo from a friend may feel they’re ready for something permanent. To cover up the poke tattoo, they might consult a tattoo artist to create a new beautiful design that subtly blends with the black ink.

Close up of the tattoo machine. Tattooing.
How to Prepare for a Tattoo

If you want a new tattoo but don’t want to spend the money or time on laser removal sessions, a cover-up tattoo could be the perfect solution.

You can consult with a tattoo artist and decide to get a new tattoo over the old one, using the colour of their choice and a suitable size to hide the old one.

Don’t forget that tattoo cover-ups can be used in combination with laser removal. Fading the original tattoo with laser removal often makes covering more manageable and gives your tattoo artist more space to work with.

Some Considerations for a Tattoo Cover-Up

It’s crucial to consider several things when deciding how and when to cover a tattoo. When deciding on a cover-up tattoo, you should keep these in mind.

Size

There is no set minimum size for a new tattoo, so long as it fits within the borders of your existing one. You will need a cover up that’s large enough to hide the original. 

Colour

Tattoos that have faded are simpler to conceal than those that are more vivid. However, the cover-up artist must take colour into account. The artist has the final say on whether or not the previous colour will be visible.

Also, remember that if there were more colours in the original, it could be more challenging to mask them.

Tattoo Cover up
Crop tattooed man outside

Design

How easily an old tattoo can be concealed depends on its specific design. Covering intricate patterns can be more challenging than covering basic ones. The cover-up tattoo may also need to be intricate. 

Age

Older tattoos are easier to cover up because the ink has faded, and the lines have blurred.  Your skin had more time to process the previous tattoo, accelerating the fresh ink absorption.

Artist

When choosing a tattoo parlour to do your cover-up, it’s essential to look at the artist’s portfolio and technical expertise.

Although you may have already found a tattoo artist whose style and quality you admire, you must choose someone with years of experience tattooing cover-up tattoos.

Tattoo Appointment

Here Are Five Tips in Choosing a Tattoo Cover-Up

Now comes the exciting part: imagining what your ideal design might look like! Find some helpful tips for picking a cover-up tattoo down below.

1. Stay True to the Original Design

The best cover-up tattoos are nearly identical to the original tattoos. If you already have a large floral piece tattooed on your chest, getting a cover-up design related to floral compositions would be far more straightforward than getting an entirely new piece done.

2. Build on Current Design

You could possibly add something more to your taste to your existing design. You can customise the tattoo by making it bigger, darker, or both.

How to Prepare for a Tattoo
Close up of the tattoo machine. Tattooing.

3. Expect Larger Sizes

The size of your cover-up tattoo should be at least as large as the original. It’ll probably have to be a bit bigger than that. When coming up with a brand new design, it’s crucial to consider the size.

4. Cover-Up Tattoos Require More Care

To ensure the ink for your cover-up tattoo infuses entirely into the previous design, you may require as many as three sessions. Cover-up tattoos may fade faster than “original” tattoos over time. Tattoos need special care, including hydrating and avoiding sun exposure.

5. Keep Your Expectations in Check

Though having a big expectation is nice, it’s essential to be practical about it now instead of meeting disappointment later. 

If you choose to become a client of Pearl Lemon Tattoos, you can be assured that we will always be available for follow-ups. Each of our clients is important to us, which is why we always strive to deliver quality customised tattoo services.

Man doing a tattoo in a tattoo salon

Popular Tattoo Cover Up Designs for Men

Of course, a tattoo is uniquely designed to reflect the wearer, but there are many popular symbols and layouts that you can take some inspiration from. 

Here are some tattoo cover-up ideas for men to consider hand-picked by our talented tattoo artists at the studio.

Honeycomb

As a distinct style, honeycomb tattoos can be done in various colour schemes. However, you can’t go wrong with a black-and-white version of this tattoo. 

Covering an existing tattoo with a honeycomb design is often done to tribute to children or grandchildren. Moreover, beliefs and values are some possible meanings of tattoos.

Floral

Flowers and leaves come together to form the floral or flower tattoo. Some people aren’t familiar with how to correctly apply tattoos, which results in their removing the tattoos either out of regret or because they outgrew them too quickly due to not having sufficient knowledge of the subject. The good thing is there are plenty of other flower cover-up tattoos.

Tattoo artist makes a tattoo on a man's hand.
Professional tattoo artist

Lion

The majesty and power of lions as a symbol in tattoos have made them a classic tattoo design cover up for men. The King of the Jungle represents strength, confidence, and courage. So, people who value these values might think about getting a lion tattoo. That makes it a great option for people whose astrological sign is Leo.

 

Geometric

Getting a geometric tattoo has been popular for many years. In fact, geometric upper arm ink is all the rage nowadays. It’s gaining popularity among people of different ages and styles. This geometric cover-up tattoo features a variety of glyph designs and a mandala tattoo for a backdrop, making it ideal for hiding a tattoo that you no longer like.

Globe

Cover-up tattoos of a globe can stand for a desire to see the world. You can still be an adventurer even if you’re not the kind to pack up and fly to some distant places. A globe tattoo is perfect for you if you’re living an active lifestyle and need a way to cover up your existing tattoo. Another tattoo design you can have with the globe is a compass tattoo.

But of course, it’s not just limited to these– you can always request a customised tattoo design if you want to. All you have to do is ask for our experts’ insight and a great tattoo idea.

How to Prepare for a Tattoo
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Pearl Lemon Tattoos' Cover-Up Treatment

We just want what’s best for our clients

Though each of your tattoos has a unique history, we will give you a moment of reflection so you can finally put them behind you.

Pearl Lemon Tattoos provides the most reliable and safest tattoo removal options.

We also provide individualised treatment plans so you can modify your sessions to best suit your needs.

So what are you waiting for? Set an appointment today.

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