Redeem now - Kat Von D said she'd spent almost 40 hours getting blackout ink to cover her famous tattoos.
- She said her old designs no longer represented her, and she liked the sleek blackout aesthetic.
- Von D added that she tried laser removal but that it wasn't realistic to use in her case.
Kat Von D has explained her decision to replace many of her tattoos and cover most of her body with solid black ink.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the celebrity tattoo artist shared a video of herself in a tattoo studio with freshly done blackout work across her abdomen.
The short clip — which also showed her getting tattoo work done and some of the tools that were used in the process — accompanied a Q&A caption that addressed commonly asked questions about the ink.
Von D did not respond to a request for comment.
"17 sessions, and almost 40 accumulative hours later, we are about 80% done with blacking out my body," Von D wrote. "I've been consistently flying out to Philly to get tattooed by the amazing @hoode215 at his lovely tattoo shop @blackvulturegallery."
She also urged viewers to reconsider leaving negative comments by saying: "What you consider ugly might be beautiful to someone else."
View this post on InstagramVon D first responded to those who have asked why she's chosen not to do laser tattoo removal for the ink she no longer wants.
"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," she wrote. "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."
Laser tattoo removals are typically done by dermatologists, as they're the only professionals who receive medical training in this area, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
As Insider previously reported, removals can take dozens of sessions depending on the age of your tattoo, the number of colors involved, its size, and other factors.
"The number of treatments depends on your body's ability to eliminate ink from the skin. This varies for everyone," board-certified dermatologist Debra Jaliman previously told Insider, also noting that removal sessions need to be spaced out over the course of weeks.
While pain levels also vary from person to person, Jaliman said that getting a tattoo is "generally more painful than removing" one, though it can depend on the area.
"The area is numbed with a topical numbing cream and a small chilling machine that blows cold air on the skin helps to keep pain at bay," she said about the removal process.
Von D also addressed her reasoning for covering her tattoos in her caption, saying she's 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 said.
She also noted that she loves the aesthetic of blackout ink.
"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," she said.
View this post on InstagramVon D, who started covering her tattoos in late 2020, added that she has no plans to add any white-ink designs atop the blackout tattoos she's gotten.
"I love the simplicity of the black — but definitely have seen some beautiful ones where people tattoo white over their blackout," she wrote.
She then addressed those who questioned if getting so much ink tattooed can be healthy.
"I've been getting tattooed for almost 3 decades, and have never felt a negative effect," Von D wrote. "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?"
She continued: "We can always try our best to pick our poisons. 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."
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, the biggest health concerns surrounding tattoos stem from unhygienic practices, like artists using unsterile equipment or contaminated ink (the result of pigments being diluted with unsterile water). The latter can cause allergic reactions and infections, according to the FDA.
View this post on InstagramCovering her tattoos is one of multiple major life changes Von D has made in recent years.
The former makeup mogul sold her gothic California mansion in 2023, closed her tattoo shop, moved to Indiana, and got baptized after renouncing witchcraft and the occult.
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