Laser Removal vs Cover-Up: Which Is Better?

I've been tattooing since 1991, and in that time I've seen a lot of tattoos people wish they didn't have. Old names, wonky script, a design that made sense at nineteen and doesn't anymore. It happens to almost everyone who's been tattooed for long enough, and there's no shame in it.

The question I get asked most when someone walks in wanting rid of something is simple: should I laser it or cover it? The honest answer is that it depends on the tattoo, the skin, and what you actually want at the end of it. Sometimes it's one, sometimes the other, and quite often it's both.

When laser removal makes more sense

If you want the tattoo gone and don't want anything in its place, laser is the only real option. A cover-up is still a tattoo. If the goal is clear skin, that's a laser job.

Laser is also the better choice when the tattoo is somewhere a cover-up just won't work. Fingers, wrists, the side of the neck, small spots where there isn't room to go bigger. A cover-up almost always needs to be larger than the original, so if the space isn't there, it's not a fair thing to promise anyone.

At the studio, Darren runs our laser removal using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, and he's recently added new equipment including a cooling machine that makes sessions a lot more comfortable. Removal takes a number of sessions spaced weeks apart so your skin can heal and your body can clear the broken-down ink. It's a process, not a quick fix, and Darren will give you a straight answer at consultation about how your particular tattoo is likely to respond. Older, lighter and amateur tattoos often fade faster. Dense, professional work with lots of colour can take longer.

When a cover-up makes more sense

If you like being tattooed and you'd be happy to have something new there, a cover-up can be a brilliant result. You walk out with a tattoo you love instead of one you're tolerating.

Cover-ups work best when the old tattoo is fairly light, thin-lined or faded, and when you're open on the new design. That second part matters more than people think. The old tattoo dictates a lot. Dark ink doesn't disappear under lighter ink, so the new piece needs enough depth, shading and solid colour to do the hiding. You can't put a delicate fine line flower over a thick black tribal band and expect it to vanish.

This is where Japanese-style work really comes into its own. Bold traditional Japanese tattooing was built on strong black, heavy backgrounds and big shapes like waves, clouds, peonies and koi. Those elements are perfect for swallowing up an old piece and turning it into something that looks like it was always meant to be there. A lot of my favourite pieces over the years have started life as cover-ups.

When the answer is both

This is the bit most people don't know about. You don't have to choose. A few sessions of laser to lighten an old tattoo can open up far more options for the cover-up.

Fading first means the new design doesn't have to be as dark or as big. It gives the artist more freedom with colour and detail, and it gives you more freedom to get the design you actually want rather than the one that will hide the old one. If someone comes to me wanting something softer, or something with lighter colours, I'll often suggest a few laser sessions with Darren first. It adds time to the process, but the end result is better and it'll age better too.

Having laser and tattooing under one roof makes this easy. Darren and the artists can look at the tattoo together, talk through the plan, and you're not bouncing between two studios trying to get everyone on the same page.

How to decide

Ask yourself what you want to see when you look at that spot in five years. If the answer is nothing, go for laser. If the answer is a great tattoo, a cover-up could be right, possibly with some fading first. If you're not sure, that's exactly what a consultation is for.

Bring the old tattoo in, show us what you're thinking, and we'll tell you honestly what's possible. Sometimes that means saying a cover-up isn't the best idea yet. I'd rather tell you that than give you a tattoo you end up wanting to cover again.

Come and see us

If you're weighing up laser removal or a cover-up, get in touch through our contact form or pop into the studio for a chat. We'll look at the tattoo properly and talk you through your options, whether that's laser with Darren, a cover-up with one of our artists, or a bit of both.

There's no online booking here, just proper consultations so we get it right.

Good Times Tattoo  1st Floor, 8 Lower Clapton Road, London E5 0PD

Tattooing East London since 2009.