No matter how much thought you put into a tattoo, there’s no guarantee you’re still going to love it in 10 years. Times change, ink fades, and your taste may not be stagnant. But “no ragrets,” right?

For those of us who start having second thoughts about our pieces of ink after the freshness wears off, there are thankfully some creative artists out there who will be happy to replace them with new masterpieces. Below, you’ll find some of the best tattoo cover-ups that have been shared in the Fixed Tattoos subreddit, so enjoy scrolling through and be sure to make note of any corrections you might like to put on your own canvas!

#1 Love The Beautiful Mandala Work My Artist Used To Revamp My Old Ink @jerkydoo On Ig

Image credits: oddjaqx

#2 How Good Will Cover Up Tattoo Like This Look After It’s Healed Up?

Image credits: g20richasan

#3 Coverup In Progress

Image credits: EpicHeather

We’ve all been warned about how thoroughly we need to think through tattoos before getting them, but that doesn’t stop us from forging ahead with our ink. You only live once, after all! The Pew Research Center reports that a third of Americans today have at least one tattoo, and 22% have more than one piece of ink. So inevitably, with the millions of tattoos that are done every year, they can’t all be winners.

According to Gitnux, research from the UK, US, Australia and Canada found that 78% of tattooed individuals regret at least one of their pieces. So many of them turn to sources like the Fixed Tattoos subreddit to see if anything can be done about their unfortunate artwork.    

#4 Large Scale Blackwork Cover Up Client Was Relieved To Have This Old Image Gone

Image credits: [deleted]

#5 My Space Sleeve Was Just Finished

Image credits: pidude314

#6 Finally Got Part Of My Coverup Done

Image credits: _TheBeardedDan_

The Fixed Tattoos subreddit is a wonderful, supportive community for anyone who wants to transform their old or lifeless pieces into something they’re proud of. The group, which has been around since March 2018, has amassed over 30k members simply for sharing “pictures of bad tattoos that were fixed very well.”

The community is dedicated to sharing photos of great cover-ups, seeking and providing suggestions for how to fix unfortunate pieces, and posting “true fixes,” which are corrections of the original pieces, rather than completely new artwork intended to cover up an old piece. The group is inspiring for those of us who have a regrettable tattoo that we tend to cover with clothing and extremely helpful for anyone who would like to transform an old piece with some new details.      

#7 From A Spur-Of-The-Moment Tattoo At 18 That I Had Often Forgotten About To A Beautiful Tattoo That I’m Proud Of

Session 1 of cover-up completed by Dora Billmyer at Higher Ground Tattoo in Las Vegas, NV

Image credits: salted-avocados

#8 Absolute Witchcraft By Ange Pele At Cloak And Daggers Tattoo In London

Image credits: sh0000k

#9 Turned My Spermy Clouds Into Some Pretty Peonies

Image credits: unsuspectingduck

When it comes to having a tattoo that you hate, there are a few courses of action you can take: live with the regrettable piece and hope it grows on you, book some laser-removal sessions, or cover it up with something you actually love. Removal has become increasingly popular over the years, as searches on Google for “tattoo removal” increased 40% between 2020 and 2021. But the process can be painful, expensive, and you might not want to completely remove the artwork from your body.     

#10 First Session Cover Up!

Image credits: More-Vehicle-4912

#11 Cover Up Is Now Completed And I Couldn't Be Happier

Image credits: PunkyandFunky

#12 Before And After

Image credits: [deleted]

If you’re more interested in fixing or covering a bad tattoo than completely eliminating it, you’re not alone. According to Kenneth “K-Bar” Restrepo, owner of Leathernecks Tattoo in Brooklyn, cover-ups account for at least half of his company’s business. And apparently, an old and faded tattoo is the perfect piece to transform into something new. “It’s easier to cover an older tattoo,” Restrepo told Men’s Journal. “The ink tends to settle into your skin after some time. And if you did them a while ago, the quality of ink has changed.”

#13 Cover Up After 5yrs Of Regret

Image credits: Weirdwife22

#14 Chaos Wheel Before And After (Same Artist ~20yrs Apart)

Image credits: JimmySnuff

#15 Wonky Script Turned To Traditional Patchwork Sleeve

Image credits: ReeseRhys

It’s also wise to take your time, do some research and figure out exactly what you’d like to replace your old tattoo with before consulting an artist. They can help you craft the perfect piece, but Restrepo says the more sure you are of what you want, the better. “[Clients] often come in thinking, ‘Okay, I have a circular tattoo, maybe you can do a black sun. I have lettering, so maybe I can do bigger lettering,’” he explained. “They should come in with what they actually want. Give me a subject, and it’s my job to make sure it works.”

#16 I Finally Feel Comfortable With What Is On My Arm

Image credits: neederbellis

#17 We Did A Little Cover Up. Done By Andrew Edlin In Spokane Washington

Image credits: Andrew-edlin

#18 Fixed- Forearm Tattoo

Image credits: [deleted]

Clients should also be aware that a good quality cover up will likely be more expensive than the original piece, but it’s worth it to have something you really love on your skin. “Ninety percent of the time, if the guy’s willing to give you a bargain, it’s because he’s not busy,” Restrepo told Men’s Journal. Resist the urge to book with the first artist available or the cheapest one. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for with tattoos.

#19 Recommended From Comments On R/Tattoo. Started Cover-Up In 2018. Finished On Tuesday (The 1st.)

Image credits: keehawn

#20 My Half Sleeve Cover Up. 14 Hours - Four Sessions

Image credits: LiquorBiscuits

#21 My Fixed Tattoo

Image credits: pumpkinscovfefe

There are many factors to consider when deciding to cover up a tattoo from your past, including what colors you want to use for your new ink. According to TattooDo, the most common color choices for cover-ups are blues, browns and blacks because these are the best at covering up old ink. On the other hand, shades of red, yellow and orange should typically be avoided, as they aren’t always strong enough to hide a different shade of ink. However, if you want to go lighter with your cover-up tattoo, a few sessions of laser removal can help to fade the original piece.  

#22 A Cover Up I Got Done Today

Image credits: Pogonax13

#23 Anubis Was In Desperate Need Of A Makeover

Image credits: vialpatient

#24 8 Years Later, I Finally Got My Elephant All Fixed Up

Image credits: SoggyCity2584

If you’re looking to fix a bad tattoo, you should also decide whether you’d like to completely cover it, reinvent the old tattoo or just blast over it. One adorable example TattooDo provides of a creative reinvention is a low quality pikachu tattoo that’s been turned into an adorable pikachu painting a self-portrait. This idea may not fix every unfortunate tattoo, but it’s a great reminder to think outside the box when designing a tattoo to fix an old mistake.  

#25 Off Center Cross Coverup

Image credits: mattymatchu

#26 Process Of Covering Up A Tattoo That I Wasn't Happy With

Image credits: jayelkay

#27 Wasn’t Happy With This Tattoo Pic #1) And Found An Artist To Rework It For Me (Pic #2). Not Quite Done Yet, But I Love It So Far! ?

Image credits: Relevant_Strike_9785

Are you feeling inspired to give one of your old tattoos new life, pandas? Whether you got it when you were 18 or it’s just healed, it’s never a bad idea to try to fix a tattoo that you hate. Enjoy scrolling through the rest of these pics, and be sure to upvote the ones that inspire you to correct your own pieces. Then, if you’re interested in seeing even more photos from the Fixed Tattoos subreddit, you can check out Bored Panda’s last article on the same topic right here!

#28 Before And After

Image credits: JesseDII

#29 Before/After From Into The Lich

Image credits: PeppButt1738

#30 Wedding Coverup Success!

Image credits: crasher_queen

#31 Reworked This Starmie Tattoo

Image credits: fem_b0t

#32 From My Least Favorite Tattoo To One Of My Favorites

Image credits: smoothjazzy

#33 Black It Out But Make It Pretty

Image credits: FtheWhat107

#34 Huuuuge Upgrade

Image credits: nikkilocascio

#35 Got My Sailor Moon Brooch Fixed Today And I Couldnt Be Happier

Image credits: morganlashelle

#36 Fixing My Cover Up Was A Success!

Image credits: Pigbreeder

#37 2 Months Apart. On The Left, Done For Very Cheap Price - Took 2 Sessions, 10 Hours Total -- Fixed By The Artist Who Created The Design Originally, Who Was Quoting Double The Price. He Did It In Under 2 Hours. Good Tattoos Aren't Cheap And Cheap Tattoos Aren't Good

Image credits: musicalsteve

#38 Finally “Fixed” The Tail

Image credits: rebecca-mkt

#39 Got This Coverup Today

Image credits: planttattoo

#40 I Couldn’t Be More Stoked With The Results! Wonky Lines Cleaned Up, Added Some Dimension And A Sun To Cover The Multiple Blow Outs

Corrected by Thomas Yosenick at Fine Line Tattoo (Garland, TX)

Image credits: Cresgodess

#41 Blowout Fix!

Image credits: Born_Joke

#42 My Blue Jay Has Come A Long Way

Image credits: artgardens

#43 Got This Covered Up

Image credits: [deleted]

#44 Cover Up Of This Hand Tattoo By Andrew Edlin In Spokane Wa

Image credits: Andrew-edlin

#45 Goodbye Awful Anchor Tattoo

Image credits: inGoosewetrust

#46 Sad Slug Rework!

Image credits: thelookofplasma

#47 Friend Fixed My 10 Year Old Chest Piece That I Hated (1 Year Healed)

Image credits: cassius_tastr0phe

#48 Tattoo I Hated That I Got Fixed! Coverup/Rework By Ink Bunni At Vancouver, Canada’s “The Fall Tattooing”

Image credits: wastemortal

#49 Recent Cover Up. I’m Petty Happy With My Results

Image credits: itssnaggletooth

#50 Coraline Piece I Fixed Up!

Image credits: Funnypaintbrush

#51 After 11 Years, My First Tattoo Got Some Much Needed Tlc

Image credits: plswhythis

#52 Finally Got This Fixed Up!

Image credits: moo654

#53 Bye Bye Wonky Blown-Out Compass!

Image credits: Spiritualrose98

#54 Got This Fixed A Few Days Ago. So Happy

Image credits: vote4bigbird

#55 Now vs. 3 Weeks Ago!

Image credits: Notyouraveragejew1