Hydrogen Peroxide and Exfoliation - Exfoliation paired with hydrogen peroxide can do wonders to gradually fade
The answer is that you can't lighten up a tattoo. You can strategically darken some areas to add more contrast, but you'd want to do it very minimally.
Yes, it is possible to completely remove a black tattoo, although the process may take several sessions to complete.
Colour correcting your tattoos follows the same ground rules as concealing blemishes on the face. The trick is to cancel out the tints in your tattoos with complementary colours. Use a peach corrector for black/blue ink, a green corrector to cover up red, and yellow correctors for purple hues and vice versa.
The American Academy of Dermatology says petroleum-based products can cause ink to fade. They recommend using water-based moisturizers on new tattoos instead. But why? Products like Vaseline and super thick ointments may trap moisture and bacteria on top of a new tattoo, increasing your risk of developing an infection.
If the tattoo is inked with a dark color, the tattoo artist may lighten it by using a white base. Again, this is not just a plain white, but a white with other colors added to it. This way, the tattoo will seem to lighten up by using a lighter base.
Hydrogen peroxide
It is designed to work as a disinfectant but is moderately effective at fading superficial layers of ink. On its own, hydrogen peroxide is not potent enough to penetrate the second layer of skin. As a result, fresh tattoos or deeply embedded tattoos won't be phased by it.
How to lighten a tattoo effectively? Laser removal is by far the best way to fade a tattoo. This is the quickest, safest, and most efficient removal process, says Cooper Ferreira, a Removery technician and experienced RN. “This is a process that utilizes your immune system to remove ink in a safe way,” he emphasizes.
Specifically, lighter colors like white, yellow, light blue, and pink are the most difficult to remove, as are green, red, and neon colors. White ink (and light colors that were made by combining darker ink with white ink) sometimes turns darker before it begins to fade.
A special type of laser — called a Q-switched Nd:YAG — might be used on darker skin to avoid changing the skin's pigment permanently. Before laser treatment, the skin is numbed with an injection of a local anesthetic. Then a powerful pulse of energy is applied to the tattoo to heat and shatter the tattoo ink.
Natural methods like exfoliation, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide can offer gradual fading but carry risks of skin irritation and inconsistent results. For safer and more effective tattoo removal, professional treatments such as the advanced Phantom™ Laser technology are highly recommended.
The key to covering up a black tattoo is to choose a color that will contrast well with the black ink. For example, lighter colors such as white, yellow, or light green will stand out against the darkness of the black ink. Darker colors, such as dark green or blue, can also work well for covering up a black tattoo.
Other Tattoo Removal / Fading Options:
Hydrogen Peroxide and Exfoliation - Exfoliation paired with hydrogen peroxide can do wonders to gradually fade tattoo ink naturally. This is because exfoliation removes dead skin while hydrogen peroxide is a skin lightening agent that has bleaching properties.
While laser is definitely the best method of removing tattoo ink, certain pigments used in cosmetic tattoos don't respond well to laser treatment. The ingredients in these pigments can be very different from those used in conventional ink, and laser treatment could change the color of some rather than lightening them.
Laser removal is the most effective way to remove a tattoo, but there are also other methods that can help, including surgical removal, dermabrasion, and chemical peels.
It'll just look the same, but older. The only way to lighten this tattoo and have it look good would be to laser it, which will take a long time because of how dark it is. I wouldn't go over it with white because the white usually heals a weird grey color instead of skin tone.
Sun damage
You can't avoid the sun forever and you probably want to show off your artwork, but you can protect your skin and tattoo by using an SPF with a high UVA and keeping it covered in intense, direct sunlight. Anything that affects or damages your skin will make your tattoo fade quicker.
The most commonly used neutralizing color is a deep orange to cancel out the blue and blue-green shades of common tattoo inks. For tattoos with dark black ink, you should use a deep red neutralizer.
Unfortunately, there are no ways to “remove” a tattoo at home. Skin-bleaching creams and at-home remedies won't work and can even result in burning, scarring, and severe irritation if used incorrectly. Even the at-home remedies you find online are more likely to inflame your skin than fade your tattoo.