Inktropy

Anon: What's your advice on tattooing over old self injury scars? Most are very old (like over a decade), smooth, flat, etc, but some are roughly 12 months and still really pink/raised/easily irritated, plus a few that are basically like dents in the skin. I'm way too embarrassed to ask for an artist's advice in person, but I've always wanted full sleeves and I kind of feel like it might be impossible now.

Tattooing over scars, including self-injury scars, is totally do-able. Please don’t feel it’s impossible, and please don’t feel embarrassed over them.

Tattoo artists are used to being different than everybody else. They appreciate the unique, especially if it has a story behind it or it’s a part of a person’s life. They tend to be less judge-y than the general public, especially if it has anything to do with mental illness, substance abuse, or any sort of trauma. It’s rare that I’ve found a tattoo artist who turns their nose up at self-injury, and those were assholes anyway.

Scar tissue doesn’t take ink as well, so it might take two to three sessions for the ink to “stick,” but that’s the hardest part of the whole thing! And it’s not a given that you’ll need two or three sessions, I just wanted to warn you it’s a possibility.