Do I need laser before a cover-up?

Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly which applies to yours. A few laser sessions can turn a cover-up you would settle for into one you actually want. Plenty of pieces need none at all.

What lightening changes

A cover-up has to be darker and busier than what is underneath. The darker the old piece, the fewer designs can go over it, and you end up choosing from what will work rather than what you want.

Two or three laser sessions do not remove the old tattoo. They fade it enough to widen the list, which is usually the difference between a compromise and a piece you are glad you waited for.

When it is worth it

Four situations where we would raise it before you commit to a design.

Solid black or very dark work, where almost nothing will sit over it cleanly.
You want something lighter, finer or more colourful than the original.
The old piece is large and the alternative is going much larger still.
You have covered it once already and it is showing through.

When it is not

Faded line work, old grey-blue tattoos and anything already soft usually needs nothing. A bold design will cover it and you can book straight in.

We do not do laser, and that is why we will say it

There is nothing in it for us to send you elsewhere for a few months first. That is exactly why the recommendation is worth something when we make it.

Send a photograph of the existing piece and we will tell you which of these you are in before you have spent anything.