Cover-Up Tattoo Checker

Quick answer: most tattoos can be covered, but the new one has to be bigger and darker. Studios plan a cover-up at 2 to 3 times the old tattoo’s size, in black or deep colours; yellow, pastels, white and skin tones will not hide dark ink. A tattoo with solid black under a light or colourful design usually needs 3 to 6 laser fading sessions first.

How to use it

Type the old tattoo’s longest side, then tap how dark it is, the kind of new tattoo you want and whether it sits somewhere with room to grow. The answer says whether it can be covered now or should be faded with a laser first, how big the cover-up has to be, which colours cover, and what the fading and the new tattoo cost. It is a plan to take to a consultation: only an artist who sees your tattoo in person can design the cover-up. The tattoo removal calculator prices full removal instead, the tattoo cost calculator prices the new piece by the hour, and the tattoo healing tracker follows the weeks after.

How much bigger a cover-up must be

Old ink cannot be painted over: “When you inject new ink into skin that’s already been tattooed, the new ink doesn’t just sit on top of the old ink and cover it up—the two colors blend together, creating something in the middle” (Painful Pleasures). The new design needs room around the old one to hide it. Tattooing 101: “Your new design should be 2-3x the size of the old design”. Certified Tattoo Studios: “Don’t be surprised if your artists suggest a more significant piece two or three times bigger than your old tattoo.” Removery gives the smallest figure: “Traditionally, your tattoo artist would suggest a design that is 30-50% larger than the current design. Laser is typically the best way to ensure uniformity and consistency of the new tattoo while also allowing the size of the new tattoo to be smaller.” The sources disagree by that much, so the table shows both: the studios’ 2 to 3 times for a cover-up done now, and Removery’s 30 to 50% larger as what fading first makes possible. We apply the size rule across the tattoo’s longest side, the way tattoo sizes are quoted (ours).

The price column is what studio guides publish for a NEW tattoo at the cover-up’s size, from the tattoo cost calculator’s sources (done now). A cover-up costs more: “you can expect a cover up tattoo to be more expensive than a normal tattoo” (Tattooing 101), and neither gives a figure, so we add none. Past about a foot, a cover-up is half-sleeve size and studios price it by the hour.

The colours that cover, and the ones that don’t

Tattoo ink also changes as it heals: “Tattoo ink will look opaque when applied and translucent when it heals.” So the rule is one line: “The colors you use have to be darker than your current tattoo” (Tattooing 101).

• Cover: “That means cover-up tattoos generally have to be composed of fairly dark colors (black, brown, blue, purple, magenta, or dark green) to be successful” (Painful Pleasures). StarBrite Colors, an ink maker: “Black and deep dark colors are the most effective cover up inks, followed by deep blues, deep greens, and deep purples.”
• Don’t cover: “Light colors and warm colors like yellow and orange cannot cover existing dark ink” (StarBrite). Pastels: “colorful designs that aren’t dark enough (ex: watercolor tattoo designs that use pastel colors) will not transform an old tattoo” (Tattooing 101). White needs “multiple sessions for it to really show up”. Skin tones: “Flesh tones are generally ineffective for cover-ups, as they lack the translucence of untattooed skin and are rarely able to cover up dark colors” (Wikipedia).
• The styles that work: “Neo trad, blackwork, and tribal designs all use lots of dark ink. These styles tend to get better results when it comes to covering up an existing tattoo” (Tattooing 101).

Cover it now, or fade it first?

It depends on two things: how dark the old tattoo is and how light the new one will be. Think Tank Tattoo: “If the old piece is dark and solid, lighter colors will not bail you out, and soft detail alone will not hide it.” Ray Studios: “A dark, dense, large cover-up conceals the old tattoo more easily and can therefore go over a base that has only been partially faded.” Our table puts the sources’ rules together (ours); the tool adds one more: a finger, hand or inner wrist cannot take a piece 2 to 3 times bigger, “a body part that just can’t support a larger tattoo” (Removery), so there it says fade first.

How many laser sessions before a cover-up

Fading is not full removal: “In most cases, 2 to 5 laser lightening sessions are enough to prepare a cover-up, compared with often 6 to 12 sessions for a complete removal” (Ray Studios). Removery: “In most cases, it typically takes 3 – 5 sessions to fade it enough for a cover up.” A pale tattoo “may need only one or two”. Removery’s own dark cover-ups took three, four, five and six sessions. Sessions are six to eight weeks apart, and then: “Once the tattoo removal process is completed, it’s best to wait at least 6 weeks before getting a new tattoo on the treated area. Many artists will suggest waiting 6 months before receiving the cover up.” Costs use CareCredit’s US range of $272 to $659 a session (the tattoo removal calculator has your state’s average).

The last row is ours: “A light, colourful, fine or heavily shaded cover-up requires far more fading” (Ray Studios), so it runs from the dark cover-ups’ three sessions up to a full removal, which Removery puts at 8 to 12. Fading is laser removal stopped early, so the safety advice is the same: a board-certified dermatologist, and the warning signs are in the tattoo removal calculator.

Worked examples

A 2 in name in some black, covered with a dark, bold design: yes, cover it now, with a design about 4–6 in across, $200–$850 at published prices for a new tattoo that size, plus the cover-up premium.

A 4 in solid black tribal piece, to become a design in deep colours: fade it first, then cover it: 3 to 6 laser sessions over 3 to 9 months ($816–$3,954), wait 6 weeks to 6 months, then a design about 5–6 in.

A 1½ in name in some black on the inner wrist, to become a dark, bold design: fade it first, then cover it: 2 to 5 sessions over 1 to 7 months ($544–$3,295), then a dark, bold design about 2–2½ in. A dark design would cover it, but on the wrist there is no room to go 2 to 3 times bigger.

A 3 in solid black piece, to become a pastel watercolour: fade most of it first: 3 to 12 sessions over 3 to 20 months ($816–$7,908). Over solid black, a pastel design needs the old ink nearly gone.

Common mistakes

• Asking for a cover-up the same size as the old tattoo. Without fading, plan on 2 to 3 times bigger.
• Choosing light colours over dark ink. It looks covered on the day: “it will look great fresh, but within a few days to weeks, the old tattoo will show through” (Tattooing 101).
• Tattooing over freshly lasered skin. Wait at least 6 weeks after the last session; many artists say 6 months (Removery).
• Skipping the touch-up. “In the majority of cases, you’ll want to schedule a touch-up with cover-up clients after their new tattoo has had time to fully heal” (Painful Pleasures).

Ideas for the new tattoo on Needle Style

Large, shaded designs make the best cover-ups: butterfly tattoos, mandala wrist tattoos, leg sleeve tattoos, shoulder cap tattoos and full leg tattoos.

Rules from Tattooing 101, Certified Tattoo Studios, Painful Pleasures, StarBrite Colors, Think Tank Tattoo, Removery, Ray Studios and Wikipedia; laser prices from CareCredit. Checked 2026-10-05.

FAQ