Cover up that scar with a beautiful tattoo.
Scars and birthmarks make many people self-conscious. Regardless of your scar’s location, at some point in time, whether it be the general public or your significant other, someone will see it. While this isn’t such a big deal for most, some people find it a constant embarrassment that never quite goes away.
While technology has yet to find a way to completely remove unsightly scars and blemishes, many people have turned to tattoos as an effective and fun way to conceal those pesky imperfections. Depending on the particular tattoo design, artwork can coverup—as well as draw attention from—most scars no matter how large or small they may be.
There are a few different approaches you can take when attempting to cover-up your scar or blemish with a tattoo.
Concealment. Directly covering the scar with a design in a way that best covers the tattoo entirely. This would be the avenue most people take when trying to conceal a scar.
Integration. As opposed to concealing the tattoo, some people like to incorporate the scar into the design. Using the scar to complete an illustration—as seen in the zipper tattoo below—or adding a few words that give the scar meaning, are just a few examples of the many ways this approach can be applied.
Many examples of both techniques can be found in the gallery below. Once you decide on which route best suits your situation, the following examples of scar-concealing tattoos should do more than inspire your cover-up design.
This sketch style owl.
The erratic lines of this sketch style owl do a great job of concealing the subjects many scars. As you can see, the sketched style of design can be an effective way to disguise scars by masking them with a large number of abstract lines. (Photo: Inez Janiak)
This delicate scar-concealing tattoo.
Sometimes a subtle distraction is all that’s needed to divert attention away from a scar. This soft and elegant design features an elderly man inspecting the bright red leaves of a tree. (Photo: Nando)
This tiger scar cover-up tattoo.
Stretch mark scars are almost impossible to remove. So when all those creams and fractional lasers fail, a sprawling tiger tattoo will cover things up just nicely. Brazilian tattoo artist Felipe Mello is known for his large watercolor designs, and the thigh and hip area is clearly one of his favorite locations. (Photo: Felipe Mello)
This large floral piece.
Speaking of stretch marks, the belly is often one of those places where embarrassing stretch marks linger after a pregnancy. This woman took things into her own hands by opting for a beautiful mural of black and grey ink roses (Photo: Zihwa)
This hydrangea cover-up.
Although scars can be masked by tattoo designs, one thing ink will never be able to achieve is the ability to eliminate raised surfaces, which almost all scars possess. But for all intents and purposes, most people won’t get close enough to notice. (Photo: Mini Lau)
This important reminder.
This emotional cover-up.
Scars don’t always have to be covered directly by tattoos. Sometimes people feel it’s better to acknowledge their past and keep the scars intact as a constant reminder of how far they have come and where they use to be. This elegant reminder to “love yourself” makes for a powerful piece by choosing to leave the scars visible. (Photo: Daniel Winter)
This self harm scar-concealing tattoo.
Self-harm scars are among the most commonly covered types of scars. These scars in particular can be a touchy subject for many individuals who are trying to avoid being judged based on their past. (Photo: Zihee)
This floral hand piece.
While most people aren’t fazed by small scars, even the tiniest of scars makes for a great excuse to get a new tattoo. (Photo: Zihee)
This landscape cover-up tattoo.
Here we have a clever leaf-based landscape design concealing a pigmentation issue that’s most likely the result of a burn. If you look closely you can see what looks like a small barn, a horse, and some trees. (Photo: Hongdam)
These colorful florals.
If you’re looking for something uber feminine, look no further. Scattered floral designs placed sporadically form a perfect distraction when trying concealment is of the upmost importance. (Photo: Zihee)
This wolf.
This long floral back piece.
