I am thinking about getting a tattoo. Do they hurt and if so what does it feel like?

Question

I want a black cross on my wrist and a 4 leaf clover behind my ear.

Answer 1

I just had my very first tattoo done on Saturday, on my inner wrist. I hope I can help clarify for you that it is not the torturous, traumatic pain that some people can scare you with and make it out to be. I was told over and over again, "the wrist is the most painful area because it's packed with nerve endings, and the skin is thin with nothing but bones and tendons to hit!"

I was fully prepared to bite my husband's arm off as I survived the horrible pain. In reality, it was honestly, truly not nearly as bad as people often make it out to be. I wouldn't say I'd do it just for fun, but it felt irritating, not horrific. My tattoo artist started out with a few dots in the center just so I could get acclimated to the sensation. When he started, I asked, "is that how it feels the whole time?" He replied, "yep, mostly. It may be more sensitive in some spots but this is what it feels like...you're feeling it!" I was so surprised, and relieved. I do not have a high pain tolerance or a low pain tolerance...I'd consider myself to be just perfectly average on the pain scale.

I noticed that the closer he went to my hand, the more uncomfortable it was. It also felt more unpleasant when he went down the tendon area that runs under your thumb down the wrist and arm. The pain in those areas was more significant than the rest, but it was very brief and fleeting. Within literally a few seconds, it would stop and be back to the "regular" feeling of the tattoo. My tattoo took about 2 hours to complete. By the time things were getting closer to finished, I was more just *sore* from the continuous rubbing over the skin with the needle. The area will get sensitive afterwards, and I have to be 100% honest...the tattooing process did not hurt or bother me half as much as it does when water is running on my tattoo for light cleaning! :) I'm not sure if it's odd to find that needles hurt less than water, LOL, but I do hope it helps you feel confident and comfortable with your decision. Everyone always says, "it depends on the person" or "it depends on your pain tolerance," and the whole time prior to my tattoo I just wanted someone to give me a clear, articulate description of what it DID feel like! :) So I hope this is helpful to you. Again, it's no walk in the park, but if you're like me and are bracing yourself for the worst, you may just be pleasantly surprised with how much tougher you are when it comes down to it! :)

Answer 2

they hurt most when there's not much between skin and bone, so those two places will hurt more than, say, your calf or something - but if the place is important, don't change it because of pain difference - - and how much they hurt depends on the person and their pain tolerance - some say its just a dull vibration feeling, sort of goes numb, some start to get teary-eyed and can hardly bear it - but nobody dies from the pain


and... maybe this is just me, but there are some beautiful artists out there doing amazing work with tattoos.... why would you make them do crosses and clovers? shouldn't it be something wonderful and original and personal? if the wrist cross and ear clover hold special meaning, fine, but most people who see them will not understand this - they'll be with you forever - consider working with your tattoo artist and making something unique and special

Answer 3

I can't speak to the pain behind the ear, but I have a plumeria on my left wrist. It hurt a bit in some places but was okay in others. My most painful one so far was the back of my neck. All tattoos hurt somewhat...if someone says they don't they are lying :) Your tolerance to pain is going to be the only thing that makes it hurt worse or less...my best explanation for the pain would be a needle being scraped across skin...

Answer 4

Ok, a lot of people are guessing at the pain level of a tattoo behind the ear. I actually HAVE one right behind my right ear, and it hurt the least of all my tattoos (and I have 4). The only thing was the vibration of the tattoo machine against the base of the skull. It was a little odd, but not painful.

Answer 5

No matter what TATTOOS HURT trust me i have 5. The best thing to do is go in expecting the worst, because you are always disappointed on the feeling, the worst part about the tattoo would be the after care. It feels like a really Really REALLY bad sunburn, but over all its not that bad, but with the 2 places you are getting it i would advise you to reconsider the placement because number one you wont be able to get a good job and number two where you want them are the 2 of the 4 worst spots because your skin is most sensitive there. on a pain scale it goes from 1 (worst) to 4 (a little better than worse)
1 neck
2 wrist
3 foot
4 ankle
Trust me on this please because i have lots of family in the tattoo business. THANKS!

Answer 6

Super Oww and Wicked Super Oww. Tats do hurt, I haven't gotten one in either place, but those WILL hurt like an SOB. The wrist is LOADED with nerve endings, if you haven't gotten a tat yet, DONT get one there, your tattoo artist will probably say the same thing. I have never even seen someone with a tat behind their ear..I don't know if they do that. Well, at any rate, I wouldn't recommend getting a tat at either site for your first. Good Luck and Happy Inking

Answer 7

It depends on your pain tolerance and the size and complexity of the tattoo. I have a very large dragonfly on my lower back. It took four hours to do it. It has multiple colors. I was told the outline was the worst - NOT BY A LONG SHOT. If you want to have color added to it, it is going to take a lot longer, and hurt much more.

I typically have a very high pain threshold. However, this tattoo was given to me by my ex husband, with his new wife there...it wasn't fun having his friends and new wife oogle at my lower back/upper rear end...

I wouldn't do it again. In fact, it has two spots that were not filled in that I refused to allow him to finish because I couldn't take it anymore. That four leaf clover is going to hurt for sure.

Answer 8

It really depends on your pain tolerance. But for most people they don't hurt that much. Or if they do it will only be in certain spots. For instance I have one on my lower back and it hurt the further away from my spine the tattoo artist went. So even if it does hurt at times. It wont be the whole entire time.

And it sounds like you want fairly small tattoos- you should have no problem. Go for it!!!!

Answer 9

depends on how well you can take pain... i got one on my left shoulder part of it is on my shoulder blade it wasnt really that bad it is more of a tingle than a pain... it only really hurt when the artist when over the bone.. on a scale of 1-10 .. 10 being worst i say it was about a 3 over the bone it was a 5 ... it also depends on the spot you are getting the tattoo some places hurt more than outhers

Answer 10

Short answer: yes.
I mean seriously, you are getting anywhere from 3 to 12 needles repeatedly rammed through you skin. Of course it hurts.
Is it tolerable? Yes. Heck, it can be downright pleasant at times.
As for what it feels like, that's almost impossible to predict. Placement, design and even the artist all have contributing factors. I suppose the best general description would be a "burning sensation."