| ll tattoo changes can be fixed with a touch-up, though. | | | | tell you exactly what he'd be able to do for you when |
| Stretch marks are a good example, depending on the | | | | he sees your tattoo fix candidate. Experienced |
| color of the stretch marks and the effect that the lack | | | | tattooists can do a lot with shading and solid lines to |
| of elasticity in the skin has meant to the overall design | | | | improve a bad tattoo. |
| of the tattoo. Only a visit to a tattoo artist will let you | | | | Let's go briefly back to the blurrier. A blurred tattoo can |
| know. Likewise, a tattoo that has blurred may not be a | | | | happen for different reasons (see the last chapter). |
| good candidate for a touch-up. | | | | Can it be fixed? In most cases, not until the tattoo has |
| Ironically, though, if the tattoo continues to blur at an | | | | blurred so much that a new color on top will stand out |
| accelerated rate (for whatever reason) it may enter | | | | as separate from the old (and generally we're talking |
| into touch-up territory sooner rather than later.In a | | | | about the black outline). Tattooing white ink over the |
| perfect world, everybody who wants a tattoo gets | | | | old tattoo doesn't work for several reasons. The old |
| one and everybody who gets one likes it forever. | | | | pigment doesn't go away, for the most part. it's already |
| Tattoos and people change, though, and not all tattoos | | | | captured in fibroblasts in the dermis. Some of the |
| are created equal. In some instances, people, their | | | | pigment may become dislodged and be taken away |
| tattoos, and their tattoo design choices change to the | | | | by the immune system, but very little. It's not like |
| extent that removing the tattoo entirely is the most | | | | painting over an old layer. Instead, the white pigment will |
| desirable choice. This article acknowledges the obvious | | | | enter the dermas right alongside the black and the end |
| fact that some people will want their tattoos touched | | | | effect will be a mingling of the two. Secondly, in the |
| up, fixed, covered, removed, and even some | | | | case of white, it never comes out white—and |
| combination of these. It offers information on all of | | | | you know why by now. White pigment will end up in |
| these different approaches to changing a tattoo, | | | | the dermis in order to be a tattoo. The epidermis will |
| including which approach is best suited to the different | | | | slough off and eventually replace itself entirely, creating |
| types of tattoos and the typical scenarios where | | | | a window of skin that you look through in order to see |
| tattoo changes are wanted. | | | | the tattoo. No skin is clear, not even close. Remember |
| Touched | | | | the old "flesh-colored" crayon in the box that never got |
| Tattoo touch-up is part of the course of business, and | | | | used? It's not a fabulous color. Whatever the color of |
| some tattooists are constantly getting their own | | | | your skin, that's the color that you'd see in white tattoo |
| tattoos touched up in order to keep them looking fresh | | | | pigment. So don't consider white an option for |
| and great, sort of like hairdressers constantly doing | | | | correcting a blurry outline. Your best bet there is time, a |
| each other's hair. A touch-up can take care of a | | | | cover-up, removal, or a combination of these Crayola. |
| variety of issues that may arise in a tattoo, although | | | | Cover-up |
| holidays (see chapter 3) spring to mind as the obvious | | | | Ali, the cover-up, where the ingenuity and artistry of |
| candidate for this type of fix. Because small holidays | | | | the tattoo artist is probably most harshly challenged |
| am generally such a minor touch-up, many tattoo | | | | and where the results can sometimes be nothing less |
| artists won't charge for them. It's always best to go | | | | than phenomenal. Cover-ups range from the small and |
| back to the same tattooist who did your tattoo for the | | | | simple to the large and ornate. According to a Harris |
| touch-up. You'll be assured of the same inks | | | | poll conducted in 2002, the number one reason that |
| (composition and color) and workmanship. If you chose | | | | people regretted their tattoo was the name in it. I've |
| your tattoo artist wisely, then you have some amount | | | | come down from my chapter 2 soapbox of preaching |
| of rapport with him or her as well. | | | | to the masses (or dozens anyway) that you should |
| Although tattooees may find it hard to believe, | | | | never get your significant other's name tattooed on |
| tattooists are aware of the amount of pain that their | | | | your body. There was probably no point to such |
| clients experience. | | | | preaching anyway judging from the number of couples |
| First, of course. most tattoo artists are heavily tattooed | | | | who flood tattoo shops on Valentine's Day. While Jude |
| themselves. They know firsthand what being tattooed | | | | Law and Angelina Jobe took the removal route with |
| is all about, much more so than the vast majority of | | | | their name tattoos, others took the cover-up |
| their clients. Second, experienced tattooists can gauge | | | | route—Billy Bob Thornton ("Angelina" covered by |
| the level of the tattooee's anxiety or pain by the way | | | | an angel) and Johnny Depp ("Winona Forever- |
| their skin acccepts the ink. Without your knowing it, | | | | became "Wino Forever"). The name cover-up is |
| your body is reacting to your psychological and | | | | probably the most common and simple one done. |
| emotional state and creating real effects such as | | | | Larger and more complex tattoos are another story. |
| tightening in your skin. Tattoo artists are also aware of | | | | Reasons for covering a larger tattoo are as |
| your breathing and, of course, the expression on your | | | | complicated as the reasons for getting one in the first |
| face. At some point, for a small percentage of tattoo | | | | place, plus the added issues of tattoo quality and |
| clients, the better part of valor is to call the tattoo | | | | changes in the circumstances of people's lives. |
| done—for the day. Minor touch-ups that can be | | | | However, as time goes by, dissatisfaction becomes |
| done later, perhaps minor gradations in shading, a more | | | | action and although the tattooee still wants a tattoo. |
| solid line in a sensitive area, or maybe just a bit more | | | | they don't want the one that they have. Perhaps their |
| ink in a spot that had been glossed over, are | | | | artistic taste changed and when the tribal rage of the |
| sometimes best left to a second visit. Then again, if | | | | nineties subsided they decided they wanted to have a |
| you never came back, these aren't necessarily the | | | | portrait of Jesus done in a more conventional fashion. |
| kinds of touch-ups that make or break a great tattoo. | | | | Perhaps the symbol that was chosen is simply no |
| A touch-up is something that can sometimes help a | | | | longer relevant: it's a prison tattoo, a gang tattoo, or |
| faded tattoo. Because different tattoo inks break | | | | they simply got tired of it. Any of these reasons, or a |
| down at different rates, not all colors fade at the same | | | | combination of them, can result in having one tattoo |
| speed. If the rest of a tattoo is still fairly fresh and only | | | | covered with another. In general, tattoos are covered |
| the red needs to be darker in small areas, maybe the | | | | with larger tattoos that have dark areas in the design |
| red in a snake's eyes, for example, a tattoo artist can | | | | that correspond to the dark areas of the old design. |
| put new red over the old, doing his or her best to blend | | | | That doesn't mean they have to be giant black |
| the red colors. The same goes for any color, of | | | | squares, though. Far from it. Successful tattoo |
| course, including the outline. If your entire tattoo has | | | | cover-ups give few clues that there was ever another |
| faded, it's not a touch-up; it's a complete redo. | | | | design below them, instead drawing your attention to |
| Redo | | | | some eye-catching part of the new tattoo. On the |
| For people who've exposed their tattoos to the | | | | best cover-ups, you'd really have to know what was |
| ravages of the sun or who simply have had their | | | | there previously in order to be able to pick it out. |
| tattoos for decades, there comes a time when a redo | | | | We'll leave cosmetic tattooing out of this since this |
| might be the most attractive alternative. Once skin has | | | | type of tattooing is increasingly being performed by |
| been tattooed, however, it is never the same. To | | | | people licensed specifically for this type of work and is |
| tattoo over it again will likely be more difficult, and it is | | | | generally not done in tattoo studios. But aside from the |
| also likely to produce a different result, even if that | | | | cosmetic tattooing of vertiglio, eyebrows, eyeliner, and |
| difference is barely discernible. Even so. one effect of | | | | lip liner that make up the hulk of cosmetic tattooing, |
| a complete redo for a tattoo is not only that the | | | | there is also the tattooing of scars. Undoubtedly people |
| vibrancy of a new tattoo is achieved, but occasionally | | | | with tattoos may eventually suffer some sort of |
| the tattoo also takes on a unique sense of depth and | | | | trauma to their tattoo from an accident or surgery that |
| shading that only conies from the presence of all those | | | | creates a scar. 'That totally bites, especially when it |
| different pigment molecules in close proximity to one | | | | ruins a great tattoo. But a scar can sometimes be |
| another, old and new. They don't mix per se, but the | | | | covered and integrated back into the overall tattoo |
| old tattoo still exists in the background. | | | | design. Oilier times, people who have never been |
| Mr. Fix-It | | | | tattooed choose to have a scar tattooed. A bit |
| Nobody wants to hear that there are some | | | | screwball and grim at the same time is the familiar "cut |
| less-than-competent tattooists out there doing tattoos, | | | | along the dotted line" instruction with an arrow pointing |
| but there it is. Lines in the outline may cross where | | | | to a dashed line on the surgery scar. Women who |
| they're not supposed to, or may not meet. Uneven | | | | have had a mastectomy have been known to have |
| color may abound. Straight lines aren't straight and | | | | their scar covered with flowing vines and flowers to |
| curved lines don't have a perfect curve. Most people | | | | add something positive to a reminder of something |
| on the street couldn't draw a perfect star to save their | | | | negative in the past. Scar tissue, however, is different |
| lives, but that's exactly what we want from a tattoo | | | | from undamaged skin and may or may not tattoo well. |
| artist. And although we may not be able to draw one | | | | Consult with both an experienced tattooist and your |
| ourselves, we know immediately when one doesn't | | | | doctor if you're considering having a scar tattooed. By |
| look right. In the case of tattoo fixes (need I really say | | | | the way, aftercare procedures for any type of |
| this?) you probably shouldn't return to the same | | | | touch-up, redo, fix, or cover-up are exactly like those |
| tattooist. A competent tattoo artist should be able to | | | | for a virgin tattoo. |