Should Tattoos Covering Scars Be Banned?

A bill has been proposed by the Kentucky Department of Health that would prevent tattoo artists in the state from covering up scars. According to an article published by Local 12, Doug Hogan, the spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Health, “could not say why the proposed change was introduced or where it came from. There is no medical recommendation against tattooing over scars.”

This proposal has sent shock waves throughout not only Kentucky, but the tattoo world as large. Scar tattoo coverups are certainly a complicated process, however, they’re well worth the efforts of the artist and the pain endured by the client.

While many artists will do a scar coverup every few years, New York artist Joice Wang opts to do them every month—free of charge. She creates stunning flower tattoos for clients who’ve self-harmed and knows first hand how these coverups can benefit people’s lives.

“Scars, from my experience, are perfectly okay to tattoo over as long as enough time has passed,” shares Wang. “The challenges of tattooing more severe scars may include under-saturation of color, and may require touch ups.”

“In the topic of self harm scars, there’s a huge benefit of being able to cover scars with tattoos. If it’s not a health risk, which it isn’t if done with common sense, then i truly don’t understand the reason to ban them. Also at what point is the line drawn? What about a paper cut scar? How severe of an original injury does it take to ban the coverup? Your skin is resilient. It heals. A tattoo is for sure no more skin trauma than what may have happened to even cause the scar to begin with.”

What do you think of the proposal to ban scar tattoos? Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section.