What Make Tattoos Painful? User Experiences Tell it All…
Numbskin on 2018 Dec 10th
Tattoos do hurt. But the pain is highly subjective. For example, the pain may feel like a pinch or can hurt badly. All depend on your pain threshold, placement, artist’s expertise and precautions. Here we have rounded up some experiences that tell you why tattoos hurt.
Long Sessions Add to the Pain and Discomfort…
“Yes it hurts, in much the same way as everyone has described, however it stops and starts … each time the artist stops the needle the pain pretty much goes away (apart from the residual feeling) so its different to constant pain as there are many moments where it ceases to hurt. Any decent artist will happily stop whenever you want them to, to recover quickly. Over long sessions it’s just more tedious and uncomfortable than anything to be honest.”
When Needle Strike at Bones…
“I kept my eyes closed around the ankle bone as it did feel a little like the needle was actually puncturing the skin & catching the bone! I already had half a tattoo so there was no way I was going to make him stop! It didn’t last long & I knew I really wanted it so some deep breaths & relaxation & I have a gorgeous tattoo! It certainly put me off though - it really IS addictive - as my next two were on my left foot! Not by the ankle bone I might add, two dog outlines this time with a tiny dash of colour, and I thought the pain to be much much less but maybe I was just aware of what I was in for & decided it was worth it. I’d liken it to a feeling of pinpricks crossed with a slight dragging sensation. To be honest, it’s more painful plucking your eyebrows or using an epilator, and I’d sooner get a tattoo than use a wax strip any day!”
Touch Up on the Same Place Has Gone Horrible…
"OH HOLY HELL, THE PAIN. In comparison to the first time round I could have probably gouged out one of his eyes. Obviously now I know why it hurt so damn much the second time around but he should have known as a tattoo artist not to go over it so soon. Yes, he did the touch up for free obviously but his inexperience annoyed me. I'm now left with a blown out tattoo on my chest. blown out means the ink has sort of expanded. Sort of like when you put a bit of ink on paper and it goes a bit bigger. Getting it covered at some point though."
---- AhSighLum shares her story on Reddit.
Dropping of Tattoo Tool on My Toenail Caused More Pain
"The artist dropped the tools he was using on my foot and broke my toe nail off. My dad had to reassure him that he was cool with it before the artist would tattoo me. The broken toenail ended up being more painful than the actual tattoo."
---- LiquidHoney at Reddit
And Lessons for You…
- On the basis of these experiences, here are some key takeaways…
- Getting a tattoo on boney surface like ankle can be painful.
- Discomfort caused by long sessions can add to pain
- Tattoo artist’s mistakes and lack of experience
- Sometimes getting touchup before the proper healing can cause pain.
NumbSkin Eliminates Pain from Tattooing
While pain is obvious to occur in tattooing, you can get a painless experience by using a numbing cream like NumbSkin. It temporarily dulls your skin for 1-2 hours so that you don’t feel what’s happening to your skin. NumbSkin is an effective numbing cream and doesn’t cause any side effects.