“Got My Embarrassing Mistake Covered”: 50 Tattoo Cover-Ups So Good You’d Never Know What’s Underneath (New Pics)

Everyone makes mistakes—it’s part of being human. When it comes to tattoos, though, those mistakes are a little harder to undo. Once the ink is on your skin, it’s not something you can simply wash away.

Even so, that doesn’t mean you have to live with a tattoo you regret forever. Skilled artists can take bad or unwanted designs and transform them into something completely new. With the right cover-up, most people would never even guess there was anything underneath.

Here are some of the most impressive before-and-after transformations, courtesy of r/Tattoocoverups.

#1 Best Tattoo Cover-Up I’ve Ever Seen

#2 4am Stick And Poke Upgraded

#3 Before And After

In many places today, the stigma around tattoos has faded. Spotting someone with ink while walking down the street barely makes anyone raise an eyebrow anymore. Tattoos have become a bold form of self-expression, allowing people to wear art on their skin, whether it’s something meaningful, cheeky, or just plain funny.

#4 Deathly Hallows Coverup By Silas, Esoteric Tattoo. Portland Or

#5 Just Wanted To Show Off My Cover Up Tattoo

#6 Show Me Your Tits! Bushtit, Wrentit & Titmouse Birds. Scar Cover Up From Top Surgery

But even though tattoos are more accepted than ever, that doesn’t mean people always stay in love with the ones they’ve got. And it’s not all that surprising, unlike a bad haircut, you can’t just undo a tattoo overnight. In fact, studies show that about 1 in 4 people in the US admit to regretting at least one tattoo.

#7 Ghibli Cover Up

#8 Coverup After 18 Years

#9 Cover Up Ink

That might sound like a big number, but there’s context. Most of the regret comes from impulse decisions. According to research, around three-quarters of people who dislike their tattoos admit they planned them for less than a few weeks. The ones who put in time and thought usually feel happier with the results.

#10 My Artist Just Got A Lifelong Customer

#11 My Sh**ty Skyline Watercolor Coverup

#12 Side Coverup With Flowers

At the end of the day, there will always be some people who regret their tattoos, that’s just part of life. We grow, we change, and so do our tastes. Sometimes designs don’t age the way we hoped, sometimes the ink fades or warps, and sometimes it’s simply a choice made in the moment that doesn’t feel right years later.

#13 Blackwork Coverup

#14 Sad Bear Coverup

#15 My Cover Up!

The good news is, mistakes don’t have to last forever. Laser removal is one option, though it’s painful, expensive, and often takes multiple sessions. Another popular alternative is a cover-up, and with the skill of today’s artists, you’d often never guess there was another tattoo underneath.

#16 Covering Skin Grafts And Scars With A Phoenix Tattoo By Adam Sky, San Francisco, California

#17 Inverted Flower Ghibli Coverup

#18 I Presented My Artist With Quite The Challenge And I’m Happy With The Results

This was actually the third time getting this tattoo worked on. The first time was done on some girls kitchen and I don’t even have photo evidence of that. It was BAD (kids, please wait until you can pay for a good tattoo before getting one). The before picture I posted here was actually after another proper artist fixed it up for me. I know, it’s so awful but she did the best that she could; my foot was pretty chewed up.
So yeah, I’m not embarrassed of my tattoo anymore. It’s still healing and that process hasn’t been fun but it’s so worth it!!!

Cover-ups, however, are a whole different art form. You can’t just slap new ink over an old design and expect it to disappear, it’s a bit like trying to draw over an old sketch with a pencil and pretending it never existed.

As Redemption Tattoo Studio explains, tattoos sit about one millimeter beneath the skin, in a layer called the dermis. When new ink is added during a cover-up, it doesn’t simply go on top of the old pigments, it blends with them. Darker, bolder shades tend to dominate, while lighter ones mix to create entirely new colors.

#19 Cover Up #2 Done

#20 20-Year Old Faerie Gets New Life

20 years ago I gave a picture to a friend so he could create a tribal faerie tattoo design. It became a blob over time. Two months ago, a new (and amazing) artist looked at the blob and said he could fix it. He turned the old one into sticks and leaves on the ground under the new one. (Side note: the new one is based off the same pic the original one was, randomly). So happy with how it turned out.

#21 Rose Tattoo Coverup

Think of it like mixing paint: red and blue make purple, and the same principle applies to tattoo pigments beneath the skin. That’s why black ink is often the most effective choice when covering up an old design.

A talented tattoo artist has to carefully plan around the old work, considering how the colors will interact and how to place the new design for the best effect. It’s a creative puzzle, but when done well, the results can be incredible.

#22 Drunk Tattoo .. Coverup Is Beautiful

#23 After A Decade Of Believing It Would Be Impossible, I Finally Got My Embarrassing Mistake Covered

#24 Phil Hatchet Yau, San Diego

So if you’re thinking about covering up an old tattoo, go in with realistic expectations and choose your artist wisely. Whether it’s your first piece of ink or your fifth, original or cover-up, the right artist can make all the difference. And with that, you’ll have a tattoo you’re proud to carry for years to come.

#25 Upgraded Birb

#26 I Should’ve Done This Sooner

#27 Lost 70 Lbs So Far And Got A Zelda Tattoo Coverup To Celebrate ✨️

#28 Old Wings Covered By New, Bigger Wings!

#29 I Could Not Be Happier

#30 Coverup By Yerae, Chronic Ink, Toronto

#31 Got This 30 Year Old Flash Tattoo Finally Covered Up

#32 It’s Like It Never Existed

#33 Finally Got A Mistake Covered Today

#34 Ex Boyfriend Initials Coverup!!

#35 😅

#36 Don’t Get Matching ‘Best Friend’ Tattoos

Got matching ‘best friend’ tattoos with my now ex best friend. Got it covered less than a year later. I decided ‘no matter what, no matter where’ didn’t include her trying to sleep with my husband.

#37 Reassurance 🙁

I posted on here before because I wanted to get a cover up since my mom does not support me as a lesbian and stands up for her family who support Trump and has disowned me. The original tattoo is first. I just got it covered up, and everyone is telling me it looks so bad. I’m really sad. I really loved the idea and it was very symbolic to me and I think he did a pretty good job, but now everyone has me feeling like trash. It’s obviously swollen and fresh here but I guess don’t comment if you’re just going to make me feel worse because I can’t handle any more of it this week….

#38 Name Coverup, Done By Me

#39 With No Help From This Sub Other Than “Kenough” Finally Got The Cover Up

#40 Panther On A Panther LOL

#41 Cover Up!

#42 Very Pleased

#43 Coverup I Did Last Summer, Now One Of My Favorite Pieces

I regretted so much about tattooing this mantra.. it was really important to me at the time and had a big connection with to my dad, who I’ve since gone NC with after learning a lot of disturbing things about him. Now what used to be a painful and embarrassing part of me is one of my favorite pieces i have.

A few notes. The center face was empty space. This is half of the mantra, it continued on my chest (i did a separate coverup of that, which i also love).

When i approached this artist i asked how she felt about a coverup and sent her pics of the original. When she said she was open to it, i sent a few samples of her work that i liked (similar “bug babe” designs) and then told her she could design anything she wanted to cover / fill the space, that i really liked heavy black, and that i was comfortable going as big as she wanted.

Booked two days back to back, about 9hrs total.

Super happy with the results.

#44 Cover Up By Mike Eaton, Tattoo Asylum, Durham Nc

#45 Cover Up By Daryl Watson @ Tower Of Hearts In Leeds

#46 Bad Trad Is Now Good Trad

#47 Been Drying To Get This One Covered Up For Years, Couldn’t Be Happier With The Results

#48 Drunk Decision Fixed

#49 Ex Best Friend Drew The Og Tattoo. Finally Got It Covered With A S.A.P (Sick A** Possum)

#50 Bye Bye Bridget, Hello SAP

#51 My Cover Up

#52 Still My Favorite Tattoo

#53 Do You Think This Is A Good Cover Up?

#54 Finally Blasted Over A Mistake From 10 Years Ago

#55 Had Fun Covering Up This Tattoo

#56 Finally Covered This Quote I Regretted Getting

#57 Hp Deathly Hallows Cover Up

#58 Script To Magnolia Tree

#59 Finally Got My Wonky X-Men Symbol From 12 Years Ago Covered Up

#60 Got My Cupid Covered By A Sap

#61 Finally Got The Mistake I Made At 18yo Covered Up And I Think You’re Going To Like What I Went With

#62 Crowbro To Cover Up My Poor Teenage Choices

#63 Finally Got My Panther!

#64 Misplaced Nationalism To Actual Fandom

#65 Chest Panel Cover Up!

#66 A Long Journey Has Finally Come To An End!

I got a sleeve that I hated the second it was done. I was young and naive, not knowing how to stick up for myself with a difficult tattoo artist. He didn’t listen to my ideas and it made for a totally different tattoo than I had wanted. After a year of trying to love it, I took my own fate into my hands and went through with the removal process. I did 5 sessions over the course of 2 years and this week I finally got my very long awaited coverup. I’m over the moon with it. Now THIS is the sleeve of my dreams! I order it’s the original sleeve, the last stage of laser, and now the coverup! 🙂

#67 My Sap Coverup Over Red Ink