The most frequently asked questions about the tattoo are about the pain it causes.
Tattoos do hurt, more or less but they hurt. It really is a very particular pain, many people define it as scratching, burning, puncturing, sharping, however this is something very personal, each subject reacts differently to the pain.
For the most part, it’s a tolerable pain, it has to do with your mentality and predisposition to the discomfort that you’re going to receive.
Tolerance to pain varies from person to person. That’s why there will be times when more tolerant people will say that it didn’t hurt while others will say it was the worst nightmare of their lives and they wouldn’t get tattooed again. According to your past experiences you can have an idea of your pain tolerance, however, it does not assure you that it will be completely the same since it’s a different kind of pain, if you still don’t know it.
There are places that people who have been tattooed in many parts of their body agree that they have hurt more and those in which less, again I repeat, this depends on each individual, the most common opinion is used to have a reference according to the people previously tattooed. Also, to support these opinions we can study the areas according to their nervous terminology, the amount and thickness of the skin, its proximity or distance to a bone, its body fat, etc, what makes it more susceptible (depending on the body) to nuisance and vibration of the needle.
The most painful places to get tattooed are:
- Head: having very little muscle and skin, and being so close to our cranial bone, you feel the vibration of the needle on the head, without speaking of the fact that it is really close to the ear so the sound and the sensation make it more difficult to carry, however with a good concentration it’s possible to do it without being a bad experience. *the face: depends on the sector, the forehead can be a very painful place because of the proximity to the bone, however the cheeks may not be so painful in comparison.
- Foot-toes-sole:Being one of the places with the most bones and since it is a fundamental part of our body there are a lot of nerve endings and at the same time the skin is very thin what makes it a painful place to get tattooed.
- Hand-fingers-palm:Like the feet, this place has many bones and the skin is thinner, also the fact of the nerve endings because they are very important for the organism.
- Abdomen:It is very painful and difficult to work, especially the lower part since the skin is very elastic and sensitive, in turn you must maintain a rhythm with breathing to achieve a successful session. This place is one of the most influenced by the muscle mass and body fat that you have, will make the sensation vary from person to person.
- Groin and crotch: If there is a place with an impressive amount of nerve endings, it is this area, the pubis, the genitals (for the most daring) and all around. It's a place so painful that it could be considered torture, it takes great willpower to be able to control these strong sensations.
- The rib cage:Because it contains a large number of bones, this can also be influenced according to the body fat of the person.
- Neck: varies a bit depending on the place. -back: This is a very tolerable part thanks to its musculature and body fat. -On the side: the skin is very thin, there is little muscle or fat and in addition to it the fact that being a vital place for our life (important blood vessels, throat and trachea) means that there is a greater nervous termination so there is more pain receptors. -Front part: the skin is so thin and contains many nerve endings, in turn the closeness to the throat makes it one of the most painful places of all. - Jaw: similar to the front.
- Chest(sternum): the chest is usually not so painful but, in the center, where the sternum is located is one of the most painful places of all for being close to the bone, this is one of those areas in which the body fat and musculature affect a lot in how much it will hurt.
- Elbow:the skin is so close to the bone due to the lack of muscles, this place is one of the most painful because you feel the “tapping” of the machine in the bone. The front part of the elbow also hurts because it has several nerve endings.
- Armpit:: this area is full of nerve endings, so that the pain will be intense, there is no bone or muscle to receive the vibration so the pain is often even more intense, that and the fact that if you are a person sensitive to tickling, you will have to battle against the sensations.
- Knees-back of knees: in the knee the vibration of the needle is quite uncomfortable, the skin is very thin and in fact is quite different to most of the body because of its flexibility, also the bones are close and the terminations nervous are extensive. The back of the knees is very similar to the armpit.
- Spine: this is especially sensitive because of its proximity to the spinal cord, so the pain can be very intense.
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Here I leave my pain chart to use it as a reference, illustrated by me.
It also influences how long the session or the piece will take, since the pain produced by a tattoo lasting 45 minutes to a tattoo that takes a 6-hour session is not the same, it should be noted that the long sessions consist of moments of rest for the customer's convenience, so it can be a good experience from start to finish.
Going to a tattoo session with good expectations, ready to put up with it, knowing that it will be worth, help your perception a lot, also the fact of being rested, well nourished and hydrated so that your body can cope with the necessary time. You must be focused and carry water, maybe music or something to help you get distracted, will make you stand quietly to the most painful place.