Getting a tattoo involves an ink-filled needle repeatedly puncturing your skin. Consequently, it's not unusual to wonder how much pain you should expect when considering a tattoo. Show
As it turns out, pain is a highly subjective experience, and how much discomfort you feel while getting tattoed can depend on a couple of factors including your biological sex, pain tolerance, and most importantly — the area of your body getting tattooed. Most and least painful spots to get the tattooMost of the data on tattoos and pain is anecdotal, but some general rules apply. The most painful places to get tattooed are typically bony and have very little fat covering them, says Gianna Caranfa, a New York-based tattoo artist. Alyssa Powell/Insider Alyssa Powell/InsiderThe most painful areas for all people include the:
Less painful areas to get tattooed include parts of the body with thicker skin and more fat, including the:
How bad do tattoos hurt?There's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much pain you'll feel when getting tattooed. But if you're wondering what type of pain to expect, Caranfa says the experience is comparable to the feeling of a cat scratch or a sunburn. "Long periods of irritation and tenderness are what make you feel any discomfort," Caranfa says. "The sensation of a tattoo needle is very dull compared to a syringe [and needle], it isn't the needle that causes discomfort as much as it is prolonged tenderness of being tattooed." Importantly, different people will report varying experiences of pain based on their individual nervous systems and pain thresholds, says Channelle Charest, a California-based tattoo artist and Co-founder of tattoo scheduling platform Tatstat. Other factors that could affect pain during tattooing include:
Fortunately, most of the discomfort you feel while getting tattooed will end when your tattoo artist puts down the tattoo gun. "The sensation is only when the needle is in you," Caranfa says, adding that while it's typical to experience some soreness, swelling, and itchiness in the days after getting tattooed, it's "not debilitating." Insider's takeawayIt's natural to feel nervous about pain when getting tattooed, but there are steps you can take to prepare yourself and make the process a more pleasant experience. "Make sure you eat an hour before you go, drink plenty of water, and wear comfortable clothes," Charest says, and always be communicative and honest with your artist if you need to take a break while getting tattooed. If you're really worried about pain, you might opt to use a numbing cream. Remember to avoid NSAIDS or drink alcohol prior to being tattooed as they can thin your blood and cause excess bleeding, making it harder for the tattoo artist to do their job.
Lia Tabackman is a freelance journalist covering health and science topics for Insider.com. She can be found on Twitter @LiaTabackman. Read more Read less When it comes to getting a tattoo, the chances are you'll have thought long and hard about what it'll be and where it'll go – but what about the pain scale? Given that tattoos last, well, quite literally forever (unless you have it removed), then we totally get that the aesthetic is likely to be your key priority. But it's certainly also worth thinking about how sore or painful the actual tattooing process will be... if only to avoid a nasty surprise on the day of your appointment. Whilst we wish we could say 'Oh actually, tattoos don't really hurt that much wherever you get one done', unfortunately there is a real difference in how painful a tattoo is likely to be, depending on where on the body you get it. Looking to get a foot tattoo, or something inked on your armpit? Well, you might want to consider investing in some numbing cream beforehand – which actually does make a difference, and we'd recommend EMLA Cream 5%, just FYI. With all that in mind, we chatted to Fredrik Glimskär, founder and CEO of online tattoo marketplace Inkbay, to highlight the most (and least) painful places to get a tattoo – as demonstrated by the tattoo pain chart below. Tattoo pain chart Issy Muir “Tattoos are great, but I’d be lying if I said they were completely pain-free," Fredrik says. "There's no place on your body where you won’t feel the scratch of the needle to some extent, but there are certain places that hurt more than others," he adds. The tattoo enthusiast and founder did clarify that if you were to ask 20 people where they consider the most painful place on the body to get a tattoo, "you would likely get 20 different answers". But still, he notes, "there are places on the body that people with multiple tattoos will agree are particularly painful." And here they are... Most painful places to get a tattoo: RibcageThe ribcage is a particularly painful place to get a tattoo, explains Fredrik, because "you don’t have as much fat, muscle, or skin on your ribs, meaning you will feel the scratching of the needle a lot more." He also suggests the heightened pain "could be down to the central nervous system, as the nerves surrounding the ribs are supposedly really close to the surface of the skin." And one other reason a tattoo on your ribcage will hurt is that "the ribs move every time you breathe, which makes the tattooing process more painful." According to Fredrik, "the worst thing about getting a tattoo on the ribcage is that the pain doesn’t let up. I’ve had tattoos all over my body and usually after about 1-2 hours, once the body is used to it and stops reacting, the initial pain signals subside a little. This isn't the case with the ribs, the level of
pain is consistent throughout - for 6 hours in my case!" Most painful places to get a tattoo: HeadAlthough Fredrik has never had a tattoo on his head personally, he's heard from those who have that it's renowned for being really bloody sore. "Not only is it painful because of the lack of fat and abundance of nerves here, but apparently the noise and vibration is a little scary - it can feel like they are drilling your skull!" Delightful. "There is definitely a psychological as well as physical pain barrier to get over when it comes to getting a tattoo," he points out. Most painful places to get a tattoo: Inside of thigh"In theory," says Fredrik, the inside of the thigh "should be one of the less painful places to tattoo because it isn’t close to the bone, and there is a lot of flesh and muscle". But in reality, it can be one of the most painful locations on the body to get a tattoo done because "it's an area that isn’t as exposed and is
therefore more sensitive. It may also be more painful than other areas as it heals, purely because it will likely rub against your other leg quite frequently," he adds. Most painful places to get a tattoo: Inside of upper arm/elbowNot to freak anyone out, but from Fredrik's own experience, a tattoo here "hurts like hell". Why? "Two out of the three main nerves in the arm run right under the inner elbow, making it highly sensitive," the Inkbay founder explains. "Whenever the nerves are pinched, it can cause pain to run right through the arm, not just the area where the needle is," he says. Most painful places to get a tattoo: Feet/anklesA tattoo around your feet and ankles can cause so much pain and discomfort because "the skin is so so close to the bone, with very little fat to pad or cushion the needle strokes". Ouch. Most painful places to get a tattoo: Inside of wristSame goes here. "Like the feet and ankles, there is little fat there," explains Fredrik. And as well as that, "there are a surprising amount of nerve endings on the inside of the wrist" which can only add to the pain. Most painful places to get a tattoo: Hands/fingers"Having a tattoo on your hands and fingers is painful for a number reasons; the skin is thin and therefore sensitive, they are bony and filled with ligaments, and, as the ink doesn’t stick to this area of skin very well, the tattoo artist may need to go over the design a few times," says Fredrik. Most painful places to get a tattoo: ArmpitGranted, an armpit tattoo might sounds like an odd one, but people do get them done. And it can be particularly sore, the tattoo marketplace founder explains, "because the axillary nerve is located here as well as the glands, and the skin around the armpit is extremely sensitive". Getty Images So now you know all the places you might want to avoid getting inked if your pain threshold is low, you're probably wondering where you can get a tattoo without sobbing in agony the whole way through... Least painful places to get a tattoo: Outside of armA tattoo on the outside of your arm tends to be far less painful than one on the inside of the arm, Fredrik explains, "because the skin on the outside of the arm isn’t as close to the main nerves running through the arm. For example, while the inside of the elbow is notoriously painful, when I had the outside of my elbow tattooed I could barely feel it," he recalled. Least painful places to get a tattoo: Side of calf"Anywhere in the area above the ankle and below the knee is a good place to get a tattoo, especially if you opt for the side of your calf muscle, away from the shin bone," says Fredrik. This, he explains, is because "there aren’t as many nerve endings in this area. As you get to the back of the calf, near the back of the knee, it will become considerably more painful." Least painful places to get a tattoo: Outer shoulder"The outer shoulder is a common place for people to get their first tattoo as it is considered one of the less painful areas - again, this is because there are few nerve endings in this particular area, and there is enough flesh to provide cushioning against the needles," the Inkbay founder says. Trying to avoid tattoo pain altogether? Invest in some numbing cream before you hit the tattoo studio:
Where do tattoos hurt the least female?Least painful to tattoo
The least painful places to get a tattoo are areas of your body with fewer nerve endings. Think outer shoulder, calf, buttocks, and outer arm.
Where on your body is the most painful to get a tattoo?The most painful spots to get a tattoo are your ribs, spine, fingers, and shins. The least painful spots to get a tattoo are your forearms, stomach, and outer thighs.
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Most painful place to get a tattoo for a girl
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