When a replacement tattoo is so much better than a cover-up

Michelle, 38, loves tattoos but hated the red and green rose she had done on her thigh 30 years ago. She was embarrassed by the awful artwork and felt it affected her self-esteem.

Like so many people, she thought a quick cover up would be the answer and, 10 years ago, she got the bow and cherries done over the rose. “But because of the tattoo beneath, it never looked quite right,” says Michelle, “and even a further touch up didn’t help.”

Michelle had been considering laser tattoo removal for about four years but had been put off by fears about the pain and the cost. Finally, having decided it was time to address the problem, Michelle came to us at Claritas, unsure if the bright colours could be removed and telling us how she really longed for an intricately patterned, filigree black tattoo.

We explained that using the Picosure lasers 755nm and 532nm wavelengths, we could significantly fade the colours, but that patience would be needed to achieve a clean canvas for such a detailed replacement design. We spoke about pain management and reassured her that she would be made as comfortable as possible.

Two years later, Michelle is delighted with her final tattoo and looks back on her journey, “I never thought it would fade as much as it did! The first couple of treatments were a bit painful but the staff were really caring and it’s over very quickly. Going to the clinic once every two months was certainly manageable in terms of cost. It was definitely worth it!”

We do love happy endings. If you have an ending that needs to be happy, then click here and find out more about our tattoo removals.