Getting your body hair shaved is a non-negotiable part of the tattooing process. But what happens when the tattoo session is over? Does hair grow over a tattoo?
In this article, we'll look into whether or not hair grows back after you get a tattoo. We'll also spend some time diving into all your other hair and tattoo-related questions, so make sure you keep on scrolling.
Does Hair Grow Over a Tattoo?
Hair does grow over a tattoo. Although, when you get a tattoo, the tattoo artist will always prepare for the session by shaving the area to remove any existing hair. That helps clean the area and creates a smooth base for the tattoo.
Although tattoo ink penetrates the dermis layer of your skin, your hair follicles sit deeper than the pigments. That means a properly healed tattoo usually won't affect your follicles or interrupt your hair growth cycle.
Your skin will be smooth and hair-free only as long as it takes to grow back.
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You may even see stubble within a few days. How long it takes for your hair to return to its previous length will depend on how long it was before your tattoo artist shaved it. And despite a common myth, shaving your hair won't make it grow back faster or thicker.
How Hair Grows Back Through Tattooed Skin
Your hair usually grows back through tattooed skin at its normal rate. Tattoo ink sits in the dermis, the middle layer of your skin. The part of your follicle that produces each hair sits deeper, so a properly healed tattoo usually won't interrupt your hair growth cycle.
Researchers have looked at what happens when tattoo needles are used on the scalp. In a small 2023 study published in JAAD International, doctors used a tattoo machine to deliver two hair-loss medications into the scalps of 15 men.
Hair counts improved after three sessions, and the researchers didn't report scarring or worsening hair loss. This wasn't a study of regular decorative tattoos; the machine delivered medication, but it did show that controlled needling at tattoo depth didn't stop hair growth in this small group.
There's also an unusual case on record. A woman with alopecia universalis, an autoimmune condition that causes complete hair loss, noticed her hair growing back after having her scalp tattooed. Her case was published in JAAD Case Reports.
That's only one person, and her doctors couldn't prove that the tattoo caused the regrowth. Her hair may have returned on its own, so don't treat scalp tattooing as a hair-loss treatment.
A normally healed tattoo also won't change the thickness or texture of your hair. If your hair feels coarser as it grows back, you're feeling the blunt ends left behind by shaving, not a change caused by the ink.
Does Hair Growing Back Make a Tattoo Look Faded?
No. Although hair may cover parts of your tattoo and make the design look less sharp, it doesn't fade. Once your tattoo has fully healed, trimming or shaving the area will make the artwork easier to see again.
Real fading happens gradually. Sun exposure is one of the biggest causes, so the American Academy of Dermatology recommends protecting healed tattoos with broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
While your tattoo is healing, leave the area alone. Don't shave, wax, tweeze, or apply hair-removal cream just to keep the design visible. Your tattoo artist shaved the area before the session, and you should let your skin finish healing before you remove the new growth.
How Do You Remove Hair From a Tattoo?
Body hair can obscure your body art, making it difficult to see. Depending on how thick and dark your hair is, it might even cover it completely! So below, we'll examine some of the best tattoo-safe ways to remove hair from a tattoo.
Check the stage before you pick the method
Which hair removal methods are safe over a tattoo
Several hair-removal methods are safe on healthy skin, but not all are suitable for a tattooed area. Find the stage your tattoo is in, then read across.
| Method | On a healing tattoo | Once it's healed | Razor bumps | What it does to your ink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trimming | Leave the tattoo alone while it heals. If the surrounding hair must be shortened, ask your tattoo artist whether you can carefully trim around the area without touching the tattoo. | Yes. Because trimming only shortens the hair, you’ll see new growth again within a few days. | Very low. The hair isn’t being cut below the surface of your skin. | Nothing, as long as the trimmer or scissors don’t scrape your skin. |
| Shaving | No. Wait until your tattoo has fully healed and there is no peeling, scabbing, soreness, or irritation. | Yes. Use a clean, sharp blade, plenty of shaving gel, and strokes that follow the direction of your hair growth. | Higher for coarse or tightly curled hair, which is more likely to curve back into the skin. | Shaving won’t reach the ink in a healed tattoo. On a fresh tattoo, however, a razor can catch peeling skin or scabs and interfere with healing. |
| Tweezing | No. Pulling hair from skin that is still healing can cause irritation and increase your risk of infection. | Yes, although it works best when you only have a few stray hairs to remove. | Possible. A hair pulled from the root can become trapped as it grows back. | It shouldn’t affect the ink once your tattoo has healed. |
| Waxing | No. Wax can pull at fragile, peeling, or scabbed skin. | Yes. The smooth results can last several weeks. | Possible, especially if your hair breaks instead of coming out cleanly. | It shouldn’t cause lasting changes to a healed tattoo. Ask a dermatologist before waxing if you take isotretinoin or certain antibiotics, or use tretinoin, because these treatments can make your skin easier to tear. |
| Hair removal cream | No. These chemicals can irritate or burn skin that is already healing. | Yes, after a patch test. The results usually last slightly longer than shaving. | Low. The product dissolves your hair at the surface instead of cutting it with a blade. | It shouldn’t affect the ink in a healed tattoo, but it can irritate your skin. Always test a small area first. |
| Electrolysis | No. Wait until your tattoo has fully healed. | Yes. Electrolysis treats one follicle at a time and can permanently remove hair after a series of appointments. | Low when the procedure is performed correctly. | It targets the follicle with an electrical current instead of looking for pigment, making it a better option than laser treatment over healed tattooed skin. |
| Laser | No. | Never directly over the tattoo, even after it heals. Laser hair removal may be used on bare skin around your tattoo if a qualified provider can leave a safe margin. | Not applicable over the tattoo. On untattooed skin, laser treatment may help reduce ingrown hairs. | Tattoo ink can absorb the laser’s energy, leading to burns, blisters, scars, or changes in the tattoo’s color. |
One rule covers the whole table: let a fresh tattoo heal before removing hair from the area, and never point a hair-removal laser directly at tattoo ink. Sources: AAD, 6 ways to remove unwanted hair, AAD, razor bump prevention, AAD, caring for tattooed skin.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis removes hair permanently, and it's a strong option when unwanted hair grows directly over a tattoo. During electrolysis, an electrologist inserts a tiny probe into each follicle and applies an electrical current that stops it from producing another hair.
You may feel a brief tingling or stinging sensation, although everyone's experience is different. Electrolysis doesn't search for pigment the way laser hair removal does, so tattoo ink isn't its target. Still, wait until your tattoo has fully healed and have a qualified electrologist examine the area before you begin.
Tweezing
If your tattoo is small and on an easily visible area like your face, neck, or hands, you can use tweezers to remove excess body hair. Tweezing only removes one or two hairs at a time, making it one of the slowest hair removal techniques. It's also painful since you're yanking the hair out from the root.
Shaving
Shaving is fast, easy, and inexpensive. Although shaving is relatively painless, it can lead to painful cuts, razor burns, and ingrown hairs. Your hair will also grow back quickly, typically after only 3 or 4 days.
Waxing
Although waxing is one of the most painful hair removal techniques, it can provide some of the best results. Like shaving, waxing is quick, easy, and exfoliates your skin.
Waxing also keeps your skin smooth for longer because it removes each hair from the root. Your results may last three to six weeks, depending on how quickly your hair grows. We'll list the available waxing techniques below.
- Soft wax
- Hard wax
- Sugar wax
- Hot wax
- Cold wax
Depilatory Creams
In terms of hair removal, it doesn't get any easier than depilatory creams. Simply smooth the product onto your skin and wait for a few minutes.
Then, wipe away the cream and your dissolved strands! Depilatory creams are safe, fast, and incredibly easy to use. However, they can be a little too harsh for people with sensitive skin.
Can I Laser Hair With Tattoos?
Unfortunately, laser hair removal is not recommended for people with tattoos. To help you understand why, we'll briefly explain how laser hair removal works.
During laser hair removal, powerful lasers target the pigments in your hair. Your hair follicles absorb the laser energy, which impedes their ability to grow new hair.
Do you know what also contains pigments? Tattoo ink. Tattoos can absorb the laser's energy, which can cause a severe reaction in your skin.
This can lead to burns, blisters, scars, or unwanted changes in your tattoo's color.
In one case, a keloid formed inside a tattoo after laser hair removal. In another, a cosmetic lip tattoo became darker after a laser session before improving on its own.
A keloid is a raised scar that grows beyond the edges of the original injury. Keloids are more common in people of African, Asian, and Hispanic descent. If you've had one before or know they run in your family, talk to a dermatologist before scheduling any laser treatment.
You may still be able to have laser hair removal on bare skin away from your tattoo. Just make sure your provider can leave a safe margin around the ink.
Should You Shave the Hair on Your Tattoo?
Shaving is just one of the many hair removal options you have at your disposal. While shaving over a tattoo isn't necessary, it can be beneficial. In addition to removing hair, shaving exfoliates, which helps remove the outermost layer of dead skin.
That can make your tattoo look brighter and better defined.
Once your tattoo has finished healing, you can shave it like any other patch of body hair. But you should still take measures to protect your skin and tattoo.
That includes providing plenty of lubrication, using high-quality razors, and hydrating your skin after shaving. Use a clean, sharp blade, and shave in the direction your hair grows.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends this approach because shaving against the grain increases your chances of developing razor burn and razor bumps. Coarse or tightly curled hair is especially likely to curve back into the skin as it grows.
Those bumps can sit directly on your artwork and may leave dark marks or raised scars if they become inflamed. The more you take care of your skin, the healthier and better-looking your tattoo will remain.
How Do You Know When Your Tattoo Is Fully Healed?
Experts everywhere recommend waiting for your tattoo to heal before attempting hair removal techniques. But how do you know when your tattoo has recovered? Below, we'll look at signs that your new tattoo has fully healed.
- All of the dry skin has sloughed off - In the weeks after your tattoo session, your skin has to go through the various levels of the healing process. That includes flaking and peeling. Shedding is your body's way of getting rid of the damaged skin. It also helps trap the tattoo pigments under your epidermis. If you still see peeling or scabbing, your tattoo is still recovering.
- It's been longer than six weeks - Tattoos take an average of four to six weeks to heal. While your skin may look healed as quickly as one or two weeks after your tattoo, it's only on the surface. The deeper, less visible layers of skin still need time to recover. But once six weeks have passed, your skin has regained the majority of its integrity.
- The skin surrounding your tattoo is smooth and shiny - The most obvious sign that your tattoo has healed is smooth, healthy skin. You won't see any more scabs or signs of irritation, and your skin will pretty much return to normal. Additionally, your tattoo should be clear and vibrant, with no more oozing or cloudiness.
- You no longer feel itching, pain, or burning - During the healing process, your tattoo may feel tender, itchy, or otherwise irritated. Once these symptoms resolve, there's a good chance that your tattoo has finished healing. Keep in mind that these symptoms usually resolve in the first two to four weeks. Pain, itching, redness, or burning after that point may be a sign of infection.
Can You Shave Over a Tattoo After Two Weeks?
Two weeks is usually too soon. Your tattoo may look healed on the surface, but the deeper layers of your skin may still be recovering. Shaving too early can irritate the area, catch peeling skin, and interfere with the healing process.
Wait until all peeling and scabbing have stopped and the skin no longer feels sore, raised, itchy, or irritated. Tattoos often need at least four to six weeks, although larger tattoos may take longer. Follow the timeline your tattoo artist or dermatologist gives you.
If the hair bothers you before then, leave the tattoo alone rather than running a razor or unguarded trimmer across it. Ask your tattoo artist before trimming anywhere near the healing area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does leg hair grow over tattoos?
Yes. Leg hair usually grows back after a tattoo because the ink is deposited above the part of your follicle that produces hair. You may see stubble within a few days, but the time it takes to return to its previous length depends on how long the hair was before it was shaved.
Should you shave your tattoos?
You can shave a tattoo after it has completely healed, but you don't have to. Shaving may make the design easier to see by removing the hair covering it, but it won't brighten or restore the ink itself. If you decide to shave, use a clean, sharp razor, apply plenty of shaving gel, and move the blade in the direction your hair grows.
Does shaving over a tattoo damage it?
Shaving won't damage a fully healed tattoo because the razor moves across the surface of your skin while the ink sits deeper in the dermis. Shaving a fresh tattoo is different. A razor can catch peeling skin or scabs, cause irritation, and interfere with healing. Wait until the area is fully healed before shaving it.
Why does my skin itch as the hair grows back after a tattoo?
Both the tattoo-healing process and the shaved hair growing back can make the area feel itchy. Don't scratch or pick at the skin, since that can slow healing and introduce bacteria. Mild itching should improve as your tattoo heals. Contact a healthcare professional if the itching becomes severe or is accompanied by spreading redness, warmth, swelling, worsening pain, drainage, red streaks, or a fever. Those symptoms may indicate an infection or an allergic reaction to the ink.
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So there you have it! Hair can and will grow back after you get a tattoo. But if you want to remove it, there are a variety of different hair removal techniques at your disposal.
Just make sure you're giving your skin enough time to heal, or you'll end up damaging your gorgeous new artwork. As always, we hope this article helped provide some clarity and answered all of your questions.
