What is a tattoo rework?

A rework keeps your tattoo and fixes it. The artist goes back over the existing piece to sharpen lines that have blurred, re-pack colour that has gone flat, deepen shading that has faded, and correct the parts that were never quite right.

It is not a cover-up. A cover-up replaces the old design with a new one; a rework saves the design you already have. If you still like your tattoo and just wish it looked the way it did in year one, this is the service you want.

Can my old tattoo be saved?

More often than people expect. The question is whether the underlying design is sound — good composition and sensible placement can be revived almost indefinitely, because the artist is only refreshing what is already there.

What cannot be fixed by a rework is a design that was wrong to begin with. Lines that have spread into each other, a composition that fights the shape of the limb, or blowouts through thin skin sometimes need covering rather than reviving. Your artist will tell you which category yours falls into at the consultation, and will say so plainly if a cover-up is the better use of your money.

• Faded colour that needs re-packing
• Soft or blown linework that needs re-lining
• Flat black and grey that needs contrast rebuilt
• Older pieces that need new elements added to bring them together
• Amateur or home-done work that has a decent shape underneath

Why did my tattoo fade in the first place?

Almost always the sun. Queensland light is brutal on ink, and an unprotected forearm or calf will lose saturation far faster than a piece that lives under clothing. Ageing skin, weight change and the depth the original ink was placed at all play their part too.

Once your rework has healed, sunscreen on it every time it sees daylight is the single thing that decides whether you are back for another one in five years or twenty.

Does a rework hurt more than the original?

Usually a little, yes. The skin already carries scar tissue from the first tattoo, and going back over it is more work for a shorter stretch. The upside is that reworks are generally quicker sittings than the original piece was.

If the tattoo is very old or was heavily worked, your artist may split the rework across two sessions to give the skin a rest between them.

What does a rework cost?

Reworks run at the studio's hourly rate, and they are usually cheaper than a cover-up of the same area because there is less ink to lay down and less design work beforehand. Simple re-lining of a small piece is often a single short sitting.

As with everything, the number comes at the free consultation, once the artist has actually looked at the tattoo.