Tattooing over a scar?

I am curious whether it is possible to place a tattoo directly over scar tissue. My boyfriend is planning to get some work done on his chest, but he has a scar from a car accident he was involved in when he was a child. To be clear, the intention isn't to use the ink to mask or camouflage the scar; he simply wants the design exactly where he originally envisioned it, regardless of the skin texture

I appreciate everyone's input

Honestly, I don’t see why it wouldn't work. In fact, if it covers up the scar, that’s probably even better, right?

It really depends on the specific nature of the scar. If we are dealing with a keloid, masking it with a tattoo is going to be an uphill battle. The texture and quality of the skin within a keloid area are fundamentally different from the surrounding tissue, which means any ink applied there will likely yield a result that deviates significantly from what you’re expecting. Furthermore, the skin in those spots tends to be hypersensitive; there is a genuine risk that even minor procedures—let alone the trauma of tattooing—could trigger the formation of new keloid scarring.

Man, what an idea. They aren't going to tattoo over a keloid scar. When someone says "scar," they usually mean a standard one, not some hypertrophic or keloid mess. You can tell just by looking—those things shouldn't be touched. They look more like localized inflammation or swelling than anything else you'd call a scar.
A normal scar is slightly different from the surrounding tissue, which might make it a tiny bit tricky to work with, but once you cover it up with ink, it’ll be well-masked.

Justin Fox said:Man, what an idea—refusing to tattoo over a keloid scar,

Well, where exactly does it state that we aren't dealing with a keloid? Not everyone possesses your level of medical expertise.🙏

When they say scar, presumably they mean a standard one.

It’s good to know you’re such an expert at interpreting her intentions.🙄

They look more like inflammation and swelling than anything one would callJUSTIN FOX imagine being a scar.

According to Justin Fox's definition...🙄

By the way, the anatomical placement of the chest, shoulder girdle, and upper back are all textbook locations for these types of scarring patterns.

I should clarify that I am certainly no medical expert,
however, this young man has been dealing with injuries sustained six years ago—he’s twenty-two now—following a collision with a truck.
I am struggling to find the right way to describe the scar; it is circular in shape, the skin over it feels quite thin, and you can faintly see the capillaries beneath the surface.
Could someone please provide a proper description of what constitutes a keloid scar?

Just do me a favor and type "keloids" into Google Images and hit search... but seriously, a fair warning: please don't do this on an empty stomach!!!!!

I wanted to pick the brains of anyone here who might know a bit more than I do about this: is it actually possible to get a tattoo over a surgical scar? I'm talking about those standard 😉—you know, the kind with five little stitches along a line!? 🙂

And has anyone else here already gone through with tattooing right over a scar? I'd love to hear how the final result actually turned out...

So, I’ve got this scar from a straight cut, maybe 6 inches long... No keloids or anything, just a thin line and some little dots from where the stitches were. A buddy of mine suggested I either get a patent seal tattooed right over it or maybe just use the scar as a base for some bigger piece. What do you guys think? 😉

It is certainly not a keloid🙂

Of course it isn't a keloid; those things are pretty rare. Honestly, Harold Mendoza3, why are you being so high-strung and unrefined?

OT:
It is quite interesting to see who is doing the pointing fingers here.😉

You suddenly decided to upgrade your insult from "you idiot" to "irritable and primitive."🤣

My thanks to 😘. I can clearly see how much you care about this matter.😉

Unlike you, who seems to derive all your medical expertise from internet forums and Google searches, I actually earned my credentials at medical school.

But then again, how could I possibly compete with someone of YOUR vast intellectual caliber?🙏

😍

Amy Fowler85, it’s a good thing it isn't a keloid.👍

Man, medical school... my heart is actually racing just thinking about it.

Hmm. Interesting. I’ve actually got some stretch marks on parts of my body—like my biceps and shoulders—from lifting way too much heavy weight when I was younger, believe it or not. I'm wondering if it's okay to get tattooed over them? Has anyone here dealt with that before?

If the scar tissue has fully matured, you can generally go ahead with a tattoo without any major setbacks. That said, the skin texture in those areas isn't quite the same as the surrounding area, which means it absorbs pigment differently. There’s a very real chance the color won't look perfectly uniform once you cross over the actual scar. Furthermore, if you can clearly see capillaries sitting just beneath the surface of the scar, I’d suggest steering clear entirely.
Personally, I have a tattoo covering a scar from an old accident; it’s been eight years since the injury and another eight since the ink was applied. So far, the lines and colors have remained remarkably consistent across the whole piece. I did consider getting another tattoo over a different scar elsewhere, but the advice I received was to skip it—apparently, the skin there is too thin and the visible capillaries make it a bit too risky for my liking.

Honestly, if I were you, I’d just head straight to a professional tattoo studio and get some actual expert advice from someone who does this for a living. You can't just wing it; sometimes a spot is totally fine for ink, and other times it's a complete no-go, and it all really comes down to how that scar tissue looks. In my experience, once you've had skin damage in a certain area, the texture changes—it isn't as thick or even as consistent as the rest of your skin, so you have to be careful.

So, I’ve got this old scar on my arm from when I was a kid—maybe three cm long and about a cm wide. I decided to get tattooed right over it, and honestly, for the last decade, the ink has settled perfectly fine. It looks just as solid as the rest of my skin. My only weird hiccup was that when the needle hit that specific spot, it actually hurt. The guy doing the work didn't say anything about it being an issue, though. I don't know how much that helps anyone, but I can't stop thinking about whether there's some underlying capillary issue. Then again, if it's just an old scar, why would it even matter? The real nightmare is when you wake up years later, realize you covered yourself in ink, and you're suddenly old and out of shape instead of young and fit. That's why you have to be smart about where you put the ink if you're dead set on it—pick somewhere it won't interfere with your job, or somewhere where your skin isn't going to lose its elasticity and drive you crazy later. And fair warning: once you start, it's easy to get hooked. That's why people end up going way too far.

Greetings. One final question before I proceed: is it actually feasible to tattoo over stretch marks? I am specifically referring to the late-stage ones—those silvery-white marks that have almost blended back into the natural skin tone...