Tattoos are not like your clothes, nor are they like your hairstyle and nor are the same as your car. Those things come and go. A car may be replaced according to your budget; clothes according to your mood and hairstyle according to the latest trends. But a tattoo, my dear, a tattoo is a different thing altogether! I am no good at being poetic, but it doesn’t take much to see that tattoos are more than just a fashion statement for people in this beautiful world. Some day you will see that; there, there, here’s looking at you, prospective tattoo applicant!

Maybe you already know what I am trying to tell you. Maybe you already know that tattoos are a statement about you; not about your choice of clothes, not about your fancy hairdo and certainly not about your expensive car. A tattoo shows the world your inner self; a design meant to symbolize you. And it doesn’t change with time; it sticks fast. You won’t be struggling to breathe to fit into it as the years go by; like you would if you tried on your jeans from many years ago. The thing is, clothes don’t grow with you, hair doesn’t always stay the same; but a tattoo can be, if you wish, a commitment for life. Okay, okay, somebody stop me before I actually start daydreaming. Yes, a tattoo can be removed, but the procedure is quite painful and is in no way fool proof. But what happens if you feel that your tattoo can become more interesting if you could add a few touches to it, instead of having it removed? The answer is this: there is a way and it is cheaper than complete tattoo removal!

You can cover up tattoos to make them more interesting. Most designs can be extended further to make them appear fuller. Faded designs, for example, can be darkened and traced carefully to make them cover a larger area. However, it is also possible to completely cover up a design if you are not happy with it. You will have fewer options, sure, but most of them will be quite satisfactory. Cover up tattoos generally use thicker colors and denser designs to hide the old tattoo. You will end up having a bolder tattoo, but that is almost always better than poorly applied, faded ones.

Of course, if you want to completely remove your tattoo, you are welcome to go ahead. The reasons may be many; you may regret having gotten a tattoo, or your tattoo may be too big for simple cover up tattoos. Although tattoo removal was once considered an impossibility, modern technology has rendered that belief obsolete. Laser technology guarantees the best chances, depending on the size and density of the tattoo. Of course, tattoo removal is a painful process, more so than the application, but if it has to go, it has to go.

Getting the right tattoo initially is not always possible; people change, circumstances change. While some people commit themselves to their tattoos for life, others find it difficult to deal with them. Whatever the case is with you, you can decide to go for a cover up tattoo or for complete removal’ although, as a dreamer, I would always implore you to give your tattoo a second chance!