About Tattoo Betty (Professional Tattoo Artist) Expertise I can answer questions related to getting a tattoo, including how to look for an artist, how to become a licensed artist/apprentice, sterilization issues, cross-contamination, procedure, what to expect, and after-care. I will not answer technical questions about giving a tattoo to anyone who is not shop-affiliated or working in a licensed and legal environment.
Experience I am a tattoo artist with several years experience in a licensed studio. I am not a doctor, but I have done much research in the areas of dermatological responses to tattoos and cross-contamination of bloodborne pathogens.
Question I got my first (and possibly last) tattoo on my ankle. It hurt LIKE HELL! Is there another body part that would be a LOT less painful?
Answer Dear Sue,
I am sorry to hear you had a bad experience. The pain and discomfort that occurs during a tattoo varies from person to person and area to area. The sensitivity is relative to several factors, including the nerve structure in that area of the body (most painful places generally are the inside of the upper arm, the second knuckle, the center of the upper back, the outer sides of the lower back and kidney area, the ribs and obliques, and the clavicle area) and the amount of fatty or muscle tissue in that area. Some people find bony areas more painful, but it really depends on the sensitivity of the skin in that area.
Sometimes the pain is directly caused by the artist. Some artists are very heavy-handed, which causes a great deal of undue and unnecessary pain and discomfort, not to mention damage and trauma to the skin that can result in scarring and color that is too deep and will spread under the skin and look blurry in a few months or years.
If you plan to get another tattoo, I recommend looking for an artist who is light-handed. The way to find out about an artist's technique is to watch him or her tattoo on someone else and also look at their portfolio and check out their healed work to see if it is deep or blurry. As far as less sensitive places on the body, everyone is different, but generally speaking, the less sensitive the skin is, the less a tattoo should hurt. The ankle should not be particularly painful if you get away from the bone. Further up the leg on the calf is not bad, the thigh, the back of the shoulder, the upper arms on the outside, the wrist, the forearm away from the bend in the elbow, mainly places where you would not be ticklish. A tattoo should feel like scratching a sunburn or getting a cat scratch in the more sensitive areas. It should never feel like someone is cutting or rending your flesh.
I hope this information is helpful to you, and I hope that if you want another tattoo, your recent experience does not deter you from getting an outstanding piece of art. Good luck!
