Covering tattoos for work has become a practical consideration as visible body art becomes more common. If you decided to get a tattoo when it wasn’t a concern but now want to join a company where it might be, understanding how to cover a tattoo for work becomes essential.
Sometimes, whether a visible tattoo is acceptable depends on your role within the company. For instance, a school system might prefer that a teacher covers a skull tattoo because they spend time with students. The same school system might have no issue with an overnight custodian’s tattoos since they don’t engage directly with students.
An employer cannot prevent you from having a tattoo, but they can set guidelines on whether it should be covered. If you’re asked to cover your tattoo, keep a few helpful tips in mind.
How to Cover a Tattoo for Work
In a world where appearance and first impressions often matter, concealing tattoos may become an essential consideration for many.
Check the Length of Clothing
Tattoos on the upper arm or torso are easy to cover with clothing. For tattoos on the upper arm, ensure that the sleeves of your shirts will cover up the tattoo. You can wear a blazer or jacket at work if your shirt sleeve doesn’t fully cover your tattoo.
If your tattoo is on your lower back, ensure your shirt doesn’t rise while sitting. Your pants and your shirt should fully conceal the tattoo. Pants can also cover up tattoos on your legs and ankles.
Cover with Makeup
If your tattoo is in a hard-to-conceal location, such as your fingers or wrist, you might need makeup to help cover it. While covering up a tattoo with makeup takes time and patience, sometimes it is the only way to hide it short of removing it.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t cover new ink with makeup. This can cause an infection. If you’ve only recently gotten a tattoo, wait until your skin is fully healed before trying to conceal it with makeup.
Hiding Neck Tattoos
If your tattoo is on your neck, you can try concealing it in a few different ways. In addition to makeup, you can try growing your hair to a length that can easily cover the tattoo. If your tattoo is on the back of your neck, longer hair can easily hide the tattoo while you’re at work.
Another way is to wear a scarf. Silk scarves look fashionable and are lightweight enough to wear indoors. If you don’t want to wear a scarf, try a turtleneck instead.
Using Cover-up Sleeves
If you have a tattoo sleeve but don’t want to wear long sleeves all the time, you might want to invest in cover-up tattoo sleeves. These sleeves come in various colors (including most skin tones), are made of lightweight fabric, and do not have logos.
Most cover-up sleeves are made of nylon/spandex, so they will stay on even if you’re moving around. However, remember that cover-up sleeves might not look as professional as wearing a blazer or a cardigan.
Hiding Ankle Tattoos
Some ankle tattoos can easily be covered up with pants. However, if your pants ride up and your tattoo is exposed, you must find another way to keep it covered. Most people with ankle tattoos wear longer socks. While this prevents you from wearing sandals, it does cover your tattoo.
Another way is to wear footwear with high-top footwear. However, wearing sneakers in a professional setting might be frowned upon. Some dress shoes for men go past the ankle, while women might want to invest in a good pair of ankle boots.
Closing Remarks
There is no reason you can’t express yourself with a tattoo while remaining professional. If you love tattoos, you can express yourself artistically with tattoo-inspired clothing. Many work environments are becoming more accepting of visible tattoos. However, if you have a policy, use the above tips to conceal your tattoos. And if you’re going on an interview and are unsure what the policy is, always cover your tattoos before the interview.
