How bad does a tattoo hurt?

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Replies

  • BlondeButtercup127
    BlondeButtercup127 Posts: 750 Member
    it's a bit of a pain that hurts oh so good!! :drinker:
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,159 Member
    I have one of my cockatiel on my lower left leg just above the ankle. I consider myself a wimp with pain. I did not find it bad at all. It's more annoying than anything, especially when the artist wipes the area. I also took a friend with me and we chatted and that kept me distracted (but not distracting the artist). It was a great experience and I'm happy I did it.
  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
    Literally just got done from having a complete touch up on the top of my foot so I thought I would report back. My artist wanted to go back over everything so it would all match and my advice is .... GO FOR IT GIRL :drinker: I do think I'll prop myself up and take some ibuprofen but honestly very tolerable!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    It will hurt more on a bony area like a foot, or ribs, or over a shoulder blade. Mine is a multi color tattoo done on my upper arm, and it felt like a pressure and a buzzing, NOT pain. It was my first and so far only tattoo ( at age 60), and I thought it was going to hurt, but I had no instinct to flinch, as it wasn't pain. I enjoyed the experience and I LOVE the tattoo--it's my family logo, designed by me, all 4 members of my family have the same tattoo. Hands all around, all of us connected by love.

    p.s. It healed up with NO discomfort and NO itching.

    p.s. 2. If you want pain, unrelenting, soul destroying pain, that lasts for months, 24/ 7, get shingles. On the face, and in the eyeball. Like being set on fire and dipped in acid, at the same time.
  • Guns_N_Buns
    Guns_N_Buns Posts: 1,899 Member
    Top of the foot hurts like a mofo...everything else is cake in comparison.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Top of the foot hurts like a mofo...everything else is cake in comparison.

    Ribs are the most painful area to get tattooed.

    OP: The general rule of thumb is, tattoos are more painful if applied to areas of the body where there is less muscle and adipose tissue covering the bone, like wrists, ribs, ankles, chests, and other normally sensitive body areas.

    I have two on my ribs (one upper ribs near breasts, and one lower ribs) and another on the back of my neck. My lower ribs hurt the most. Neck was a bit painful too though.
  • grannyremus
    grannyremus Posts: 1 Member
    Lg. one on back..didn't hurt, behind ear didn't hurt. Top of foot was a BIG OUCH!
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    Best. Pain. Ever. I'd have quite a few were they not so expensive.
  • CanaryNoire
    CanaryNoire Posts: 47 Member
    Honestly did not think any of mine hurt except the one on the side of my foot. That one was tough but not painstakingly bad.
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
    The charts were very helpful!

    And the older men and women rocking the tattoos are awesome. Proof it doesn't matter. My grandpa had a tattoo on his forearm and he was still the best grandpa ever
  • Fasttrack2freedom
    Fasttrack2freedom Posts: 122 Member
    Want another one :)
  • Itskaleena
    Itskaleena Posts: 157 Member
    I have my left shoulder done. I honestly found it to be relaxing once he got going. It did hurt a little on the top of my shoulder blade where it is more bone then tissue but honestly it just gets numb after a while. Just sit in a comfortable position if the pain gets to be too much tell the artist and take a few minutes.

    I really want some more tattoos . ha:)
  • Guns_N_Buns
    Guns_N_Buns Posts: 1,899 Member
    /.
  • Atrocity108
    Atrocity108 Posts: 328 Member
    it relaxes me and puts me in a trance sometimes. It all depends on your level of pain threshold and where it is getting placed.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    depends on the part of the body, my low back and the one in between my shoulder blades didn't hurt much at all. My right ankle the tattooist hit a small scar that I forgot I had, it hurt like hell, because he had to go over the scar tissue several times to get the ink to stay. My wrist bracelet, the top and bottom didn't hurt much, just the side especially on the bone hurt like hell!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    The pain could be said for the rest of your life... and will probably be most felt when you finally mature and the neat tattoo has taken on the appearance of a smudged mess on your wrinkly aged skin and is a long gone fashion !!!

    Time would be better spent on perfecting make up and the manner in which you dress and present yourself which far too many women have neglected right down to the manner in which eat !!!



    Well, aren't you judgemental.
  • Miss_1999
    Miss_1999 Posts: 747 Member
    The pain could be said for the rest of your life... and will probably be most felt when you finally mature and the neat tattoo has taken on the appearance of a smudged mess on your wrinkly aged skin and is a long gone fashion !!!

    Time would be better spent on perfecting make up and the manner in which you dress and present yourself which far too many women have neglected right down to the manner in which eat !!!


    ~dies laughing~


    Pay no mind to this one. I got my first tattoo at age 33, by this time, I was a survivor of PTSD and Obstetric Fistula, so I'd say I was plenty mature enough, and compared to the pain of childbirth, this was a breeze! I will say, the tattoo I have, I WANT to have until I go to my grave. It's a Playboy Bunny right above my left ankle. For 14 years, I'd been putting one of those little red stickers on every time I went to the tanning bed to keep that bunny on my leg. I finally decided, I wanted it with me forever, it had been there for 14 years, and I never wanted it to go away- so I had it filled in.

    If there is something that really means that much to you, who cares what anyone thinks. Get your tattoo for YOU. Sure, we're gonna get old. We're going to get wrinkles. We've got two alternatives- plastic surgery for the wealthy, or death, and there's no escaping death.

    As for spending time on "perfecting the way you do your make-up, dress, and present yourself", bah! I spent 14 years as a counter manager for both Merle Norman Cosmetics and Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics. In those years, I saw many women who were *outwardly* beautiful that I LOVED taking their money, because they were the ugliest humans I ever had the displeasure to meet. I couldn't wait for those *perfect* people who were above everyone else to leave my counters.

    Be the best YOU, whatever that is, and if that includes a tattoo, I'm sure it's beautiful.

    PS: Yeah, there's some pain, it's not the worst thing ever, though. Trust me, giving birth is a WHOLE lot worse! :wink:
  • BadassSavageVix
    BadassSavageVix Posts: 432 Member
    The pain of getting the tattoo is certainly outweighed by the end result. I've got a few tattoos now and none of them really hurt me. It does frustrate me a little bit when my legs twitch (if I'm having a tattoo on my leg/foot). The most recent addition I had on my foot was a little bit painful. It wasn't too bad at the beginning but started to get a bit unbearable near the end.
  • abrar0290
    abrar0290 Posts: 218 Member
    Goodbye_c4e328_2046773.gif
  • vanillacoffee
    vanillacoffee Posts: 1,024 Member
    I have one on my foot, which is supposed to be really painful, but I didn't find it bad at all.
  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
    Shoulder area is a good location. Avoid to much black work though (** a lot of black work can make it more sensitive). I found hip location was the only one that really bothered me ( not enough padding at the time. LOL) Research your artist/tattoo parlor well.


    My Mother-in-law loves hers she got when she was 55. A wolf on her shoulder. She's 65 now.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,782 Member
    The pain could be said for the rest of your life... and will probably be most felt when you finally mature and the neat tattoo has taken on the appearance of a smudged mess on your wrinkly aged skin and is a long gone fashion !!!

    Time would be better spent on perfecting make up and the manner in which you dress and present yourself which far too many women have neglected right down to the manner in which eat !!!

    Because all women know that the most effective way to reduce "wrinkly aged skin" is to perfect the application of make up.
  • Miss_1999
    Miss_1999 Posts: 747 Member
    The pain of getting the tattoo is certainly outweighed by the end result. I've got a few tattoos now and none of them really hurt me. It does frustrate me a little bit when my legs twitch (if I'm having a tattoo on my leg/foot). The most recent addition I had on my foot was a little bit painful. It wasn't too bad at the beginning but started to get a bit unbearable near the end.

    OMG! That was the worst part for me, too! The twitching! I felt horrible for my tattooist! Every few minutes, my leg would twitch involuntarily! I kept apologizing, and felt horrible! He told me it was no problem, a lot of people do it when they have their legs/feet worked on. That never even crossed my mind!
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
    The pain could be said for the rest of your life... and will probably be most felt when you finally mature and the neat tattoo has taken on the appearance of a smudged mess on your wrinkly aged skin and is a long gone fashion !!!

    Time would be better spent on perfecting make up and the manner in which you dress and present yourself which far too many women have neglected right down to the manner in which eat !!!

    Because all women know that the most effective way to reduce "wrinkly aged skin" is to perfect the application of make up.


    I was going to say something similar. I'm sorry, you don't like tattoos, but not all woman want to wear makeup. I rarely do. My mother still never wears any. Sooooooooooo I don't see how it's mutually exclusive?
    It's not like I'm going to look perfect when I'm 80 so what's it matter if the tattoo isn't perfect still? It's a testament to a life well lived.
  • Well that depends largely on your individual pain tolerance and where you get it on the body. I don't think that location is very high up on the pain scale if I remember correctly. Mine hurt a LOT.
  • deadeyeab
    deadeyeab Posts: 41 Member
    Depends where you want the tattoo....over bone where there is very little fat/muscle I hear hurts. Head/ankle/shin
  • sexygoodness
    sexygoodness Posts: 245 Member
    The pain could be said for the rest of your life... and will probably be most felt when you finally mature and the neat tattoo has taken on the appearance of a smudged mess on your wrinkly aged skin and is a long gone fashion !!!

    Time would be better spent on perfecting make up and the manner in which you dress and present yourself which far too many women have neglected right down to the manner in which eat !!!



    When my wrinkly aged skin kicks in, we will take a side by side picture (me and you ), and I guarantee I will still be cooler than you :laugh:

    My question to you is what will your wrinkly aged skin look like with that stick still stuck so high up you *kitten* ?


    DISLIKE IGNORANT JUDGEMENTAL PEOPLE

    I believe the quote from a book ( the bible) where this guy ( lets call him Jesus) says something along the way of " judge not lest ye be judged". .... "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.…


    and I have 13 tattoos going in for #14 :flowerforyou:

    PEACE AND LOVE :heart:
  • DancesWithBirds
    DancesWithBirds Posts: 25 Member
    I just got my first. Like you, it was a reward to myself for hard work and a symbol of a journey. I got it on my calf. I had some reds and yellows laid down right at the top almost behind my knee. Those hurt pretty good. But I love the end result, and it was worth it to me. The pain was symbolic to me, too... sometimes you have to go through some tough stuff to get a beautiful end result.
  • BadassSavageVix
    BadassSavageVix Posts: 432 Member
    The pain of getting the tattoo is certainly outweighed by the end result. I've got a few tattoos now and none of them really hurt me. It does frustrate me a little bit when my legs twitch (if I'm having a tattoo on my leg/foot). The most recent addition I had on my foot was a little bit painful. It wasn't too bad at the beginning but started to get a bit unbearable near the end.

    OMG! That was the worst part for me, too! The twitching! I felt horrible for my tattooist! Every few minutes, my leg would twitch involuntarily! I kept apologizing, and felt horrible! He told me it was no problem, a lot of people do it when they have their legs/feet worked on. That never even crossed my mind!

    My artist is used to me twitching now and it's not a problem for him. He usually forgets though until the first twitch and then remembers how often it happens.
  • misscem94
    misscem94 Posts: 114 Member
    You've had quite a few responses, but still :)

    My wrist ones didn't really hurt at all, apart from when the needle was dragged up the wrist. My thigh one was a breeze, but my two rib ones were uncomfortable. My first rib piece was a solid black, 4 hour job, and it was painful. My second rib piece just just under the breast, and whilst painful, it was relatively quick compared to the other one.

    So really, it is down to your own pain threshold. Some areas supposedly hurt more than others (bony areas like ankle, ribs, feet). I've heard a lot of people say that their upper back/shoulder tattoos didn't hurt, but I couldn't comment on that!