How to Cover Up Prison Tattoos

"Prison tattoos," also known as "jailhouse ink," are not necessarily tattoos received in prison, although this is where these types of tattoos are frequently acquired. The term "prison tattoo" is also used to refer to tattoos completed with a homemade gun using non-professional inks, such as India ink or in extreme cases, homemade ink that can contain everything from ballpoint pen ink or even ash or other residue from burnt items such as paper plates. In some cases, a needle with or without thread or a guitar string may be used in place of a homemade gun and in most cases the tattoo is of very poor quality, or just downright bad, and the owner may decide to have it covered up--hopefully by a professional.

Instructions

1. Decide if the tattoo should be covered. Even if the tattoo is unsightly, maybe it has special meaning to you. Maybe it defines a period of your life that you don't want to forget--either good or bad. Sometimes a mate will encourage you to cover up a tattoo they consider ugly, but if it truly symbolizes something you hold sacred, then you may regret having it covered.

2. Determine if the tattoo can be covered. Many homemade tattoos are so dark and large that it becomes very difficult to fully cover them. In a lot of instances you have to look at a tribal cover up, and not everyone likes tribal art.

3. Talk to a tattoo professional. Those with plenty of practice covering these types of tattoos should be able to tell you how well the tattoo can be covered, what kind of design choices you have that will work and if you will be able to use color in the cover up or if it will have to be strictly black and grey.

4. View the tattoo artist's work. Good artists keep a portfolio of their work and if they are truly experienced in doing cover ups, they should have several before and after photos to show you ones they've previously completed. Look closely at the before and after photos to identify the skill level of the artist you are considering for your cover up and decide if they are the right artist for you.

5. Visit with several other tattoo artists. Like any important decision, it's never a bad idea to get a second, third or even fourth opinion. This also gives you an opportunity to look at a variety of tattoo artistry to determine who has the most experience doing cover ups on prison tattoos and who possesses the most skill.

6. Choose a design that is a little bigger and a little darker than the original tattoo. For a good cover up, the new tattoo needs to be larger than the original to make sure it will fully cover and give the tattoo artist some maneuvering room. For a better cover up, the new design should also be darker than the original. If the original is black, as many prison tattoos tend to be, then you are generally stuck with black. Your artist should also be able to help you in this area.

7. Weigh your options. If covering your prison tattoo doesn't seem to be a viable option, you may want to consider having it removed via laser removal treatments. Keep in mind, however, these treatments tend to be more painful than the original tattoo procedure, they can be quite pricey and it generally takes several treatments before the tattoo is completely gone. Plus, in some cases, the tattoo never completely fades away.

Tips & Warnings

• Homemade tattoos tend to have blurry edges, whereas professional tattoos will have nice, crisp lines with more intricate patterns.

• For really dark tattoos, you might consider having one or two laser removal treatments to see if you can lighten the tattoo enough to make it easier to tattoo over or to provide you with more design options by having a lighter design to work over.

• Getting a tattoo at someone's house is an unsafe practice.

• There is a much higher likelihood of contracting an incurable disease, such as Hepatitis B or C or HIV/AIDS when getting tattooed outside a professional environment.

• There is a much higher likelihood of contracting any number of infections, including staph infections, when getting tattooed outside a professional environment.

• You have no way of knowing what kind of "ink" is being injected into your skin and thus into your bloodstream when getting tattooed outside a professional environment.

• Even when going to a tattoo shop, be sure the shop and the artist have any licenses required to operate. Check that the place is clean and the tattooing environment is sterile.

Resources

• Inked Nation tattoo community
• Tattoo finder