Can You Tattoo Over Scars?

Tattoos are ideally meant to spruce up your aesthetic sense of styling. It is body art that will keep you up-to-date with the latest trends and the fashion sense. A very useful purpose of tattooing is also to cover the imperfection of your skin. There are at times when people have permanent scars after surgery. There are other situations when some people have prominent birth mars on their bodies.

In such scenarios, those people could maximize tattoo body art to cover up the imperfections of their skin. Different tattoo designs of varying sizes could be chosen to make things perfect for you while covering all those unwanted scars and spots on your body. However, this is not as easy as it seems. Many things need to be considered here which we will discuss at length here.

Different Types of Scars Causing Varying Pain with Tattooing

The body of everyone is different and that makes the tolerance level with pain different too. It is also for this reason that some people may feel excessive discomfort with tattooing as compared to others. One key point to notice here is that the scarred skin tissue is different from the normal skin tissue.

So, the scar tissue is believed to cause more pain with tattooing as compared with normal or unscarred skin. It might be a lot more painful in some extreme cases. As per the experts, scar pain is quite a normal thing especially with those who have experienced nerve compression or damage. This is what an amputation scar is. There are a few different types of body scars that tend to result in a lot more pain than others. A few examples of such type are:

• Atrophic scars
• Hypertrophic scars
• Keloid scars
• Burn scars
• Deep or large scars

If your scarring is mild then it will generally be lesser painful and the process will be much smoother and easier. It is because the small scars are usually flat over the skin and they remain well within the boundaries of the wound that you had earlier.

Things to consider when going for a tattoo over a scar

Getting a tattoo is all about styling. The same is the case for a scar-covering body art design. So, before you book an appointment with the tattoo artist, the following are a few different things that you need to consider:

Examine the scar

You must have examined your permanent scar multiple times before. But this time, the need is to examine it from the body art perspective. One should remember that the body art stuff could be tricky at times. It is a permanent procedure so you need to be extra careful with the scar as compared with those who don’t have one. It is because changing your mind later could be much more painful and complicated when you would like to go for the tattoo removal through different painful procedures.

A tattoo artist or a tattoo expert could be really helpful here for the opinion. They are quite experienced to assess the scar concerning its location, size, and if it is possible even to have a tattoo there or not.

Keep one thing in mind that the scars with no edges are considered to be the best ones for tattooing. The ones that have dark edges are not considered to be the ideal candidate for the tattoo procedure.

Healing Stage

Before you could get a scar-covering body art design, your scar needs to be healed properly. Based on the scar type, the healing phase could last for one to five years. Therefore, always ensure that your scar is completely healed before you think about getting a tattoo over it.

Dealing with Pain

As we discussed earlier, getting a tattoo over the scar can be a very painful process. Therefore, considering the tattoo type and the scar’s location, make sure that you are mentally prepared for it. Also, keep one thing in mind that if you have a scar that is recently healed then you may experience more pain as compared to those who had their scar healed long ago or at least for some good time.

Considering Professional Tattoo Artist

Getting a tattoo over a scar requires a lot of expertise. The normally experienced tattoo artists who do not have any prior experience with the tattoos over scar must never be considered as an option in your case. It is because the subject procedure is a complicated one and an inexperienced tattoo artist could make it very complicated for you. The inexperienced professionals could trigger complications which could lead to scar irritation and other similar issues.

Aftercare

Even if you have a tattoo with no scar on your body then still you need to go through a good long aftercare phase. A normal scar takes two to four weeks to heal which depends upon the location and size of the tattoo. The tattooed area should be thoroughly washed on regular basis and must be kept clean.

In the case of the scarred tattoo, even more, care is required. There are more risks of complications which include infection of the skin and as well as irritation and considerable swelling. You also need to have regular follow-up visits to the tattoo artist just to make sure that the tattoo is healing properly over the scar. You may also be promptly warned by the tattoo expert if the progress is not going as expected.

Video Credit: WLKY News Louisville

Conclusion

It is a good idea to cover up your scars with different tattoo designs. However, many things need to be considered here. The process is usually the same with scarred tattoos as compared with the regular ones. But, it is just that things in every phase could be more intense.

You might feel more pain. The nature of the scar needs to be examined and then a suitable design could be chosen.

There can be times when a tattoo might not be a possibility either due to the nature of your scar or if it has not healed. Someone who could give you the best advice on merit is a professional tattoo artist who has good experience with the scarred tattoos.