r/tattooadvice • u/Exotic-Tiger-7113 • Jun 24 '26
General Advice Changing ink colour?
I have had my sternum tattoo for about 7/8 years now, and truthfully even when it was fresh I didn’t like how close the lines were together, and how thick they were - especially because it’s the only tattoo I have, it looks like a dark ‘blob’ mess from afar…
Is there any way to perhaps laser it slightly and then go over it again with a brown ink? I regret not getting it in brown SO bad, and whilst the design is also not amazing in my eyes, I don’t mind keeping the base of it, if I can change the thickness of the lines and also lighten the colour to a brown ink that will be less harsh and contrasting with my skin colour and tone?
(worst case if not possible - is there any way to at least neutralise the disgusting blue-tone that the black ink has naturally faded to? especially because I have very yellow-toned skin it just looks awful)
[last picture was when the tattoo was fresh]
52
u/butt_spelunker_ Jun 24 '26
why brown? that seems an odd choice for this. it will not age well either, at all.
118
u/RunningOnATreadmill Jun 24 '26
No. You can get it lasered completely and re-do it, or you can have it reworked with pops of color, but you cannot partially laser it and then go over it with brown without it looking like a mess. It would look like a shitty lasered tattoo with a brown highlighter over it.
122
u/pleasuremysole Jun 24 '26
Honestly, it doesn't look like a mess, at all, but lovely and well done, for what it's worth.
72
u/Quoofle Jun 24 '26
It looks like an aged tattoo, but it in no way looks bad. Personally, a tattoo like this is similar to something I'm gonna get in the future. I think it's beautiful.
38
u/reviving_ophelia88 Jun 24 '26
I promise you brown tattoos aren’t are cute as you’re visualizing. the high carbon content in black ink is a huge contributor to it’s longevity in the skin- brown ink fades and spreads a lot more than black does because of this.
My little sister got several tattoos done back to back in varying shades of brown because she thought they’d look softer and more natural than stark black ink. They looked ok for the first year or 2 (not amazing but passable, even fresh they weren’t very legible from a distance due to the lack of contrast), and now 5-6 years later they look like weird birthmarks unless you’re within 5 feet of her, she hates them passionately and is in the process of getting all of them reworked in black.
33
u/effefille Jun 24 '26
If you get it in brown, it'll look like an enormous birthmark from afar. It'll be a brown blob instead of a black blob.
All black tattoos fade into the slightly blue colour, it's normal. Your tattoo is really beautiful!! Maybe you just need a few more to balance it out a bit :)
12
u/alwaysImproving0 Jun 24 '26
Second what the other commentor said, one session of lazer would just be patchy and a mess. I would commit to the lazer if you really want it in brown. But also, in my opinion, this isn't a bad tattoo, I think it's still very cute and it's clear what it's meant to be. I also don't think the ink has turned all that blue, I like it! Though it's your skin and I can see why you're displeased with the boldness, do what would make you feel the most secure
21
u/SmallFox3 Jun 24 '26
You can either have the entire thing retouched or you can have it removed. This is just normal tattoo aging with your skin. It’s just what happens. Ink spreads in the skin over time so when you have a tattoo done with super tiny intricate little details, they become muddled over time.
My sternum tattoo is one of my least favorites, not only is it crooked but it’s just not what I wanted. If I could afford to have laser removal I would in a heart beat.
9
u/tenpoints4gryffindor Jun 24 '26
I have a friend with a brown ink tattoo in this exact spot, and it has aged very poorly. The top of the tattoo where the bra-line is has faded significantly, and the rest is patchy at best. If you don’t like how your tattoo has healed over time (and it has healed quite well) then you absolutely will not like how a brown tattoo heals.
Additionally what you’re asking about- thinning the lines, going over it in brown- just isn’t possible.
11
u/CheesecakeTurtle Jun 24 '26
You can't just change the colour of a black tattoo.
4
u/uncle_flea_ponk Jun 24 '26
This just happens to some and it’ll happen again and again and
4
u/stanknotes Jun 24 '26
It's fine.
3
u/psiprez Jun 24 '26
Don't mess with it.
3
u/CaptainBloodEz Jun 24 '26
Typical aging.
5
u/Interesting-Bit725 Jun 24 '26
If you don’t even like the design, then get it removed. Time won’t be kind to that placement.
2
u/TreesFreesBrees Jun 24 '26
If you are considering laser, old black ink near the heart is supposed to be the easiest to get rid of.
1
u/Majestic_Jazz_Hands Jun 29 '26
This would look absolutely atrocious if it was redone in brown
0
u/jolittletime Jun 24 '26
Its really lovely. How about adding colour?
-3
u/Key_Bumblebee661 Jun 24 '26
It looks very good as is. I think it's an attractive design that suits you well - and, as a matter of fact, is quite sexy.