Mind-Blowing Tattoo Cover Ups You Need to See to Believe

We often think of tattoos as finite, everlasting works of body art but that could not be further from the truth. Many tattoos don’t age well and thus, folks turn to tattoo cover ups to remedy their ink dilemma. Tattoos fade, stretch, and change over time; as do the people with them. Covering an outdated tattoo is big business as cover ups are requested often and tattoo artists have become masters at hiding old, unwanted designs.

You might find yourself wanting a tattoo cover up but not knowing the best route to take for it. Thankfully, millions of people have shared their own cover up journey on social media with before and after images so that you can see the possibilities and limitations of what a cover up tattoo can actually accomplish. Hint: they can fully cover your old designs if you work with an artist with experience and vision. We’ve rounded up dozens of tattoo cover ups so that you can see just how successful they can turn out. Discover the best way to disguise your ink below!

Find the Best Style of Tattoo Cover Up for You Below!

Bigger Is Better

A theme you will recognize early with tattoo cover ups is that a maximalist approach often lends the best results. The flowers that were once on this shoulder have been expanded beautifully for coverage.

Florals for the Win

Another trend you will recognize is that flowers make for some of the most desirable tattoo cover ups. Their organic shapes can be altered to disguise existing tattoos extremely well.

Upgrade

Most people really love their first tattoo but it can fade over time. You don’t have to get something completely new if you liked the previous design, just ask an artist to improve on it.

One Cat for Another

This person traded a lion for a jaguar which is a win for all the cat-lovers out there. We’d say this is a huge improvement over the existing design.

Time in a Bottle

A boring floral design is taken to a whole no astral plane with this tattoo cover up of a bottle filled with celestial bodies. Obviously, ink-saturated designs work well for coverage.

Chrysanthemum Coverage

Wow! This giant chrysanthemum and snake takes the place of a geiko and we’d say this is one million times better. Find a talented artist with experience with cover ups and you can walk away with a masterpiece.

Adventure

An old symbol is given new life with this adventure-themed tattoo. Clever placement and imagination can result in splendid results.

Black Rose

Coincidentally, butterflies are often used as cover up tattoos (which you will see shortly) but we find one getting covered by a black and grey rose. It looks fantastic!

Dainty Disguise

As promised, here’s a small butterfly tattoo that covers an old letter. Like flowers, the shapes in a butterfly’s wings can be tailored to disguise an existing design.

Whole New Scene

We used the term “maximalist” earlier and we really mean it. You see this approach for this full-sleeve tattoo cover up. An entire nature scene has been created to blast over the previous design.

A Great Update

Flowers are your friends when it comes to tattoo cover ups. This gorgeous red rose has a slight watercolor effect that makes it look ethereal and haunting.

Going Big

Again, big and bold wins the day when trying to find ways to cover up your tattoo. A lovely baby blue has also been employed to camouflage the existing flowers.

Covered and Smothered

Well, that cute dolphin simply is no more! We find it overtaken by a skull and gorgeous flower. It’s tonally very different from the first tattoo but an upgrade, no doubt.

On Time

We find a clock that’s falling apart in this tattoo cover up. This meditation on time totally covers the existing design for something totally new and original.

RELATED: Clever Wrist Tattoo Cover Up Ideas

Mad Cat

We find the Cheshire Cat put to good use covering up an old yin and yang symbol. It’s the right kind of creepy for the job.

Cat Woman

This is wild! We find Cat Woman covering up an older, softer tattoo. It’s a wild tattoo cover up that might not be complete as there are still portions of the tattoo underneath around the face. Absolutely impressive at any rate.

Mysterious

Magic was worked for this big back tattoo cover up. Swirling shapes and dramatic shading give this design a mysterious and dramatic appeal.

Clever

Here’s one of the funnies tattoo cover ups we encountered. A paint roller has been rolled over the existing design to get rid of an unwanted name. How clever!

Put a Bird On It

A pretty black and grey bird has taken the place of an uninspired floral design. It’s much better in our opinion. What do you think?

Delicate Upgrade

A faded tattoo has been given new life by this tattoo artist. A delicate application still makes the design read light and feminine.

Across the Universe

We’re not sure what was there before but this galactic upgrade looks much more visually appealing. The night sky could be the perfect option for you.

Just Wow

A faded botanical tattoo has been replaced with a stunning black and grey flower design. A gradient in the background helps provide additional coverage while also adding texture.

Drama, Mama

An owl, skull, and rose have been employed to cover an eagle tattoo that had seen better days. Almost anything can be used as a tattoo cover up as long as placement and shape are taken into consideration.

Bye, Simba

Simba has gotten the boot and roses are the replacement in this example. You’d never know that little cat was ever there.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Tattoo Cover Up Ideas That Update and Improve Dull Designs

Lovely Lily

A watercolor lily looks fantastic covering some old characters that had faded. Again , flowers are truly excellent for getting rid of an unwanted tattoo and replacing with something beautiful.

Aren’t these tattoo cover ups fantastic? We hope you feel inspired by these designs that perfectly camouflage unwanted, faded, and bad tattoos with new ones that dazzle. Some tattoos simply don’t age well and you should not feel any sort of buyer’s remorse if your ink needs a makeover. Happy tattooing!