Who says you can't erase past mistakes? Certainly not when tattoos are involved! However, it's useful to know some things before deciding to cover up a tattoo. Salon owners and tattoo artists recommend doing a fair bit of research before making the big decision.

One might decide that the tattoo mistake is just not worth it and decide to get rid of it permanently. That's where tattoo removal comes in. Laser removal is the best option for those who want to erase their ex's name, an offensive design, or a poorly done ink job.

However, removing every trace of a tattoo can be expensive, painful and time-consuming. Depending on the person's skin tone, the removal process might leave some scarring. That's caused by the loss of pigmentation. 

Dermatologists say that the effectiveness varies individually: "Laser tattoo removal is a process that relies on the body eliminating ink from the skin which can take some time to process. While results will become apparent within a few weeks, it is not unusual for the body to take more than a year to completely eliminate ink."

Cover-up artists also recommend doing a few laser removal sessions before starting the coverup process. Chronic Ink writes that artists can cover up any tattoo, they just might need 2-3 removal sessions beforehand. "Doing a few removal sessions may lighten your tattoo, or bring your scarring down, so that the cover up tattoo has a better chance of really covering as if it were never there," the specialists at Tattoo Do write.

A complete tattoo cover-up is not always the only option. Some people may choose to reinvent the existing design on their skin. There's a possibility to incorporate the old tattoo into the new design. Perhaps the best example is that drunken Pikachu painting himself that Jessica Baker redid several years ago. 

A blast-over is also an option. That's a technique of putting a new tattoo on top of the old one without covering it completely. Tattoo Do writes that they can be especially eye-catching if the previous tattoo had light or faded colors. Then they can look similar to stained glass.

The success of the cover-up also depends on the color of the previous design. Darker colors with a heavy use of ink are more difficult to cover up than light-colored tattoos.

"For example, it would be easier to do a cover-up of a tattoo done in the watercolor style than it would be to cover up a traditional style tattoo. In cases where stronger colors are used, your artist may recommend a fading first," the artists at Chronic Ink write.

The next steps depend on what artist you choose for the coverup process. Some may like to give options of what is possible in each case. Others start by asking: "What would you like?" Electric Linda, founder of Attitude Tattoo Studio, is the proponent of the latter. "When I do cover ups, I want to make something that you really, really want," she says in her YouTube video.

"When they do tell me what they want, I will have to look at what they had before," she goes on. "And think about all the ways that I can make this come true. And I just have to pick the one that will look the best. Almost anything is possible. You just have to be creative," the tattoo artist believes.

Choosing an artist is a critical part of the tattoo cover-up process. You'll want a professional and experienced tattooist, but also one whose work you love. Chronic Ink lists trusting your artist as one of the main steps in getting a cover-up.

"Tattoo artists spend years perfecting their craft. If you can’t trust them to realize your vision, you’ll never be satisfied. Some doubt is natural, even healthy, but you have to trust your tattoo artist if the two of you are going to successfully collaborate and produce an incredible cover-up tattoo."

There's another thing to keep in mind – the cover-up design will definitely be bigger than the old tattoo. Artists can only cover the existing outlines if they go over them. "Your cover up tattoo will need to be, at a minimum, the same size as the original," Removery claims. That's why laser removal is not such a bad choice – if the old design is big, people can remove part of the tattoo, and cover up the rest.