Kat Von D Shares Process of ‘Blacking Out’ Her Tattoos

Kat Von D is covering up her tattoos. The 41-year-old tattoo artist took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal that she’s 80 percent done “blacking out” her tattoos after undergoing 17 sessions over nearly 40 hours.

Von D shared a video of the process and answered several FAQs about it in the caption.

As for why she’s opting to black out her tattoos rather than get them removed via laser, Von D wrote, “I actually did start lasering tattoos, and although I think laser tattoo removal is effective, I personally wasn’t a good candidate considering how much coverage I wanted to remove. Laser is a slow (and extremely painful) process, that depending on your tattoo, can take more than 10 sessions, including long healing periods in between.”

Von D noted that she does not plan to tattoo white over the blacked out areas, writing, “I love the simplicity of the black — but definitely have seen some beautiful ones where people tattoo white over their black out.”

In response to people questioning if blacking out her tattoos is bad for her health, Von D explained, “I’ve been getting tattooed for almost 3 decades, and have never felt a negative effect.”

“Personally, I believe there’s more toxicity in most of the foods we eat, makeup we wear, and chemicals in cleaning supplies. Are you eating 100% organic, eliminating all seed oils from your diet, cutting out all processed foods, sugars and food dyes? Wearing perfumes or makeup without hormone disrupters, lighting candles without fragrance, cleaning without harsh chemicals? We can always try our best to pick our poisons,” she wrote. “Personally I try my best to do all those things above, but I do love me some lipstick, candy and a tattoo every now and then! And I’m ok with that.”

Then there’s perhaps the biggest question of all — why she’s covering up her tattoos.

“I had many tattoos that represented a part of my life that no longer aligns with who I am today. Some people are fine with keeping these types of landmarks in time on them — I personally grew tired of waking up to them, and seeing those constant reminders every time I looked in a mirror,” she wrote. “Also, I really love the esthetic. I know it’s not for everyone but it is very satisfying to me to see a clean slate when I look down onto my arms.”

Von D’s post came the same month that she got baptized, a decision she made more than a year after parting ways with materials involving witchcraft, magic, and fortune-telling.  

Von D has been married to Rafael Reyes since 2018. The two welcomed a son named Leafar later that same year. In 2021, she announced their permanent move to Indiana and the closure of her Los Angeles tattoo parlor. 

RELATED CONTENT: