For females who have a tattoo or more........?

Question

I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for awhile now, but I'm afraid of the pain that I might feel. I'm kind of a punk when it comes to pain. My fiance said that it doesn't hurt but then again he can take alot more pain than I can. So females, can you please fill me in on how it feels and compare it to like a cat scratch or whatever. And maybe even tell me where the least painful spots that I should get one on.

Answer 1

To me, it was one of those erotic kind of tingly painful sensations. It does give you a minor sensation of pain, I don't think it can be compared to a cat scratch or a papercut or anything. I have a tattoo on my shoulder blade, ankle and lower back. The most painful I think was the lower back and least was the shoulder blade. Come on now, women have babies and make it through! Just start with a small tattoo and see how you handle it. If you have a good artist, they can probably get it done in 20 minutes! :)

Answer 2

Pain is really a subjective thing, and depends more on your personal anatomy than anything else. I will do my best, though. I am a wuss. I have zero pain tolerance. Every little thing hurts me, however...

I have gotten tattoos all up & down my back, behind my ear, on the back of my neck, and on my sternum. The least painful of all of these was behind my ear. The next least painful was the one on my sternum. The one that I would probably pick as best overall is definitely the sternum. That one wasn't so much painful as heated.

Because my sternum went so painlessly, I am seriously considering a large chestpiece. However, I have heard many people say that the sternum was the most painful place they have been tattooed. So again, it is entirely an individual thing. I don't want to say getting tattooed on your sternum doesn't hurt, and then have you find out it was the most painful place you could have been tattooed.

So my advice would be to do some testing/experimenting. My theory is that if you poke yourself in several different spots with a needle (sewing will do, no ink or anything at this point), you will be able to tell which areas hurt more, and which types of pain you feel in each area. This *should* be able to help you pick an area you are confident you can handle, and help you prepare for the real thing.

Answer 3

I have 3 tattoos, one at the top of my right arm, one top-centre on my back and i full sleeve down my left arm. The one on my right arm didn't hurt, actually i found it pleasurable, the one on my back was ok, quite a dull irritating pain, and my sleeve (which is actually a work in progress) has been pretty tough going, especially on the inside of my arm up near the armpit. Most tattooists will tell you the most painful place to get a tattoo is on your ribs. But do't let the pain put you off a good tattoo.
Placing is not the only factor when it comes to the pain issue. Be careful when you're making your appointment not to arrange to get tattooed during your period. During your period you're a lot more sensitive and this can make the sensation of getting tattooed very uncomfortable. Also, don't get tattooed if your feeling under the weather or are just getting over something like a cold. Again it will be uncomfortable and your immune system will be down and it may affect the healing.
Women have a much higher pain threshold than men so if your fiance can handle it i'm sure you can too.

With your 1st tattoo it is a good idea to go for something small but keep in mind tattoos are addictive so it's also a good idea to get something you can develop and expand on if you decide it's not enough in the future.

Best of luck, hope all goes well and you enjoy your tattoo.

Answer 4

I have seven if you count the two I have had covered up. It doesn't hurt so much as annoy and it's a fact that most women have a much higher pain tolerance than men. I would start with something small and make sure that is it something that you can live with for the rest of your life. Also a good idea would be to pick a spot that can be easily covered it you need to.

A general rule is that the thinner the skin in the area the more painful it will be but everyone is different. Also a spot that tends to see a lot of sun or is exposed more often tends to be a little tougher and therefore not as painful.

I can sit through getting mine without a flinch or a noise but I've seen grown men (Marines) that act like little babies. It's all in the mind set. It's not going to kill you and if you expect it to hurt then it will because THAT is what your mind is focused on.

Answer 5

I've been in the tattoo industry for years. I have 6 large tattoos all custom. It's actually be my experience that women handle the pain better than men. I actually went to sleep during the 4 hour outline session on my back. I've seen the biggest burliest men fall straight out in the floor getting something much smaller. What you also have to realize is, the first 5 minutes are the worst. After that your endorphins kick in and it's better. The pain differs in outlining & coloring. To me it feels like being continually scratched. Afterwards I would akin the pain to a bad sunburn. Keeping the tattoo moist afterwards will help with pain & itching. The least painful spots are upper arms, upper back, calves of your legs... think what areas are "well padded". I also have tattoos around my ankles, I've had other people say that they were excruiating. Mine weren't bad at all. It's all relative. The most important thing is not to get yourself amped up. More people pass out from the adrenaline than from the pain.

Answer 6

From personal experience ( I have 11 tattoos), getting tattooed does hurt, more in some places than others. My least painful tattoo was my first tattoo, on my lower back off to the right side. It is mainly fatty skin there, so it was just an annoying sensation more than pain. The most painful was the one along the left side of my back going from my hip to mid-rib. There are many bones under there so it hurt a lot. It really depends on where you get your tattoo to how much it will hurt, but all will hurt to some degree. It's obviously not such a major deal since so many people have tattoos, so if you really want one, just brace yourself for the pain and enjoy your tattoo in the long run.

Answer 7

I am currently up to 13. Try to stay away from the bony places on the body, they will hurt the worst.
For me the least painful areas were my inner ankle, my thigh, and my lower back. It feels-to me- as if I'm getting little pinches over and over again, it's more of an annoyance than a pain really. I just grit my teeth and get through it. Once or twice I even told the tattoo artist to take a smoke break so I could have a little break- that was a 4 hour job.

Answer 8

Ok....I got a tattoo on my lower back about 2 1/2 years ago. It's pretty big..about 8 inches across and 3 or 4 inches high. It hurt like Hell. It felt like someone taking a knife and carving the design on my back. I couldn't feel needle stabs...which is what actually is happening. All the needle pokes blend together to feel like a knife cutting you. The pain was so much that I ended up holding my breath without realizing it...and then I nearly passed out.

Whatever you do...DO NOT watch a funny show while getting a tattoo! I was watching friends. You don't want to laugh while someone is piercing your skin.

But, when everything was finally over, (I think it was about a half an hour...the lady giving me the tattoo even let me take a break to catch my breath. She was great.) I was relieved. I felt refreshed. It looks great. (For the ride home, I had to lie on my stomach in the back seat.)

GOOD LUCK ON WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO. Make sure you wouldn't mind looking at that tattoo when you're 75. Pick a good one.

Answer 9

I'd say the least painful place to get a tattoo is probably the shoulder. It's kind of hard to explain. It's kinda like having someone scrap a needle across your back.

It's really not as bad as it sounds. I am a complete wimp when it comes to pain and i actually went through it without that much pain. It doesn't hurt during the process, but afterward i would avoid hitting the spot were you got it done.

Answer 10

From someone who has several tattoos, I'm going to tell you the honest truth: yes, it hurts.

But it's not like any other pain you've felt. The closest I could compare it to is accidently scratching or slapping a sunburn too hard. It's an annoying, prickly sort of pain, but more irritating than truly painful or sore. It may feel sort of bruised for about a week afterward (this has happened to some of my tattoos and not to others).

Do not get it somewhere just based on limiting the ouch factor. It's not as bad as you think it's going to be and most of the "pain" is just in your head. Once you get in the chair and your artist starts to work on you, your adreneline will kick in and you will barely even notice what's going on.

Get your tattoo someplace on your body that would be complimented by the artwork. Most people start with one around their shoulderblade or upper arm. The back seems to be the least painful place, as far as most people go. But do you really want your tattoo in a location that you can never see it? It's really up to you. There are a lot of other factors in choosing placement. Look at the artwork. Where do you think it would fit best on your body? Will you need to cover it up for work? Is it appropriate to be shown all the time? Or just around certain people? If you're unsure, discuss it with your artist and they will be happy to work with you on figuring out the best place to put your piece of permanent art :)

And good luck!