How much do tattoos hurt? What areas hurt most?
Tattoos can and do hurt, after all, a needle is being pushed into the skin and depositing ink. However, where exactly you get the tattoo, can dramatically differentiate the amount of pain you feel. Factors that can also affect pain is preparedness, diet and the individual.
A tattoo can never be pain free, but in this blog, we’ll share some of our tips and tricks, to help prepare and help manage tattoo pain!
As a general rule of thumb, based on our personal experiences and those of our tattooists, these are the least and most painful placements,
Least Painful: Outer Arm
Painful: Back, Shoulders, Outer Leg
More Painful: Inner Thigh/ Arm, Hip, Ear, Hand
Most Painful: Lips, Fingers, Knee, Armpit, Ribs, Chest, Neck, Stomach, Genitals
How everyone experiences and feels pain is different, but tattoos are typically referred to as a sharp/ stinging pain, often compared to that of a cat scratch.
What makes a difference in the amount of pain you feel, is how many nerve endings are on the placement of your tattoo. Nerve endings are what feel pain and pressure, and send signals to your brain, telling you you’re in pain, body parts with the most nerve ending are often more or the most painful, i.e, the back of your knee, your palm, the bottom of the foot.
Moreover, areas with less nerve endings are therefore, less painful, this is your upper back, shoulders and arms.
Different types of tattoo can also affect how painful they can be, tattoos that take longer I.e. when they’re darker, more detailed, can mean going over the same spots again and again, meaning a more painful experience.
For example, with these tattoos above. The one on the right will take a significantly less amount of time than the one on the left, and despite them being in the same spot, the lantern will hurt more, as it will take longer- and meaning the needle will be going over the same spots repeatedly, in comparison to the fine line hands.
How to Prepare
Preparing for a tattoo is the most important part of the process, to ensure as little pain as possible for you, and that your skin is easy to tattoo for your tattooist! To prepare, it’s important to:
- Get a good nights sleep, getting an early night will help you manage the pain.
- Drink plenty of water, staying hydrated will help your skin be easier to tattoo, and will help with the pain. Avoid alcohol the night before if you can.
- Eat a good meal beforehand, keeping your blood sugar high will help with the pain! We recommend having a sugary drink and snack on hand when you arrive.
The Tattoo Process
It’s important you communicate your feelings with your artist, if you need a break- that’s okay! If you need to stop for a snack- that’s more than okay too! A tattoo is a permanent piece of body art and the last thing your artist will want is for you to be pushed past your limits and you have a bad experience. Furthermore, the last thing we want is you passing out, so if you feel light headed or faint, it’s important you tell your artist as soon as possible.
Numbing Cream
Numbing Cream is a lotion that can be applied prior to your appointment that numbs the skin, a good numbing cream will mean that you feel significantly less or no pain when getting tattooed. This can seem like an obvious choice for those extra wary of the hurt a tattoo may bring. However, it’s important to note, that due to the way numbing cream works, it completely changes the consistency of the skin, and can make it significantly harder to tattoo. It’s always important to ask your artist whether they’re comfortable with you using numbing cream, as many artists will refuse to tattoo numbed skin.
Aftercare
Once you’ve been tattooed, the pain is over! You may experience some itchiness as it heals, and it’s important to note not to scratch a fresh tattoo, but there shouldn’t be any pain in the healing process. It’s incredibly important you follow the artists aftercare instructions, and get in touch if you have any questions at all, your artist and/or Buzz Club is always happy to help 🙂
