What it Feels Like Getting A Tattoo- Real Experiences

Are tattoos painful?

This is the question that is likely to be asked by the one who are going to get a tattoo for the very first time.

What if you assure you that tattoos are not painful? Then, you will ask your tattooed friend and he will tell you different thing. The pain in tattooing depends on your threshold, artist’s expertise and body part.

Read Also: Tips to Choose Good Tattoo Artist

But firstly, here are some users’ experiences giving you an idea what does it feel like when are having a tattoo….

Read Experiences of People About Getting Tattoos

1. More Irritating than Painful…

“I had hyped myself up only to discover the process wasn’t near as painful as I thought it would be. It wasn’t even close! Instead of being ultra painful, it was only rather ultra irritating. When someone’s poking you over and over again, the only thing on your mind is one thing: Annoyed. The physical pain really isn’t all there on most body parts, but mentally it challenges you a bit when you’ve been sitting in the chair for hours on end.

Truthfully, it isn’t about your “pain tolerance”, instead it’s more focused on your “annoyance tolerance”. If you really want a tattoo, pain should be the LAST thing on your mind. It doesn’t matter! I will say that again, it does not matter! I don’t care if someone poking you with a finger hurts, you cry baby. You will be fine!”

Brian Cornwell

2. Quite Adventurous…

“When I get a tattoo, it feels like a weight is being released from by body. I always crave a new tattoo when I’m going through a lot of stress. It’s a very euphoric sensation to me. Yes, it does hurt a bit but eventually your body numbs the sensation and it makes you… almost high-like on adrenaline. It’s a wonderful feeling through my personal experiences. That feeling is so addictive that I have been getting multiple tattoos every month for the past year.”

Miranda Taylor

3. A Long Episode of Tingling, Heat, Stinging and Pressure…

“Physically it feels like you are getting poked over, and over, and over with small sharp needles. Your brain can interpret this feeling in very odd ways depending how your nerves fire:
Numbness, tingling, burning or heat, stinging, pressure, are all possible.
It can also have no feeling at all if you are being tattooed in an area with less sensitive areas.

Pain tolerance plays a part in how it feels as well. If you have a higher threshold for pain it will still feel like something is happening, but it won’t hurt as bad.”

Raven Eagan

4. Sharp Pencil Drawing Hard On the Skin…

“I am covered in tattoos, my hubby is covered and even our tattoo artist will agree. Tattooing is painful. None of us enjoy the feeling of it. Very few people who say they enjoy it, actually enjoy it. However, it is well worth it in the end.

To me the tattoo gun feels like someone takes a sharp pencil and draws hard on me. Of course the feeling does change depending on how heavy handed your artist is, the area you are being tattooed, your skin sensitivity and your pain tolerance.

The idea of a heavily drawn pencil along your body seems to be what most of the people I know feel.”

Lucia Bradley

5. It is Not Painful…

“Everyone also has different levels of pain tolerance, but generally, getting a tattoo doesn’t hurt that badly. It’s definitely uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t describe it as terribly painful. Personally, I feel that getting stitches hurts more than getting a tattoo.

That being said, don’t let the fear of pain deter you from getting a tattoo that you really want.

As nerve-racking as it can be, just try to relax, and don’t focus on how uncomfortable it is. If it will make you feel better, bring a friend with you to distract you.“

Kaley Kerr at com

6. It is Uncomfortable than Painful…

“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.”

Richard Willis at Quora

7. Like a Sharp Knife Running Over the Skin…

“I have a full sleeve on my right arm going from my wrist to the lower end of my shoulder blade with some spike on ym (sic) neck and chest.

Did it hurt? ofc (sic) anyone saying it don’t is either high or playing some kind of macho game, the best way i can personally describe is the lines kinda (sic) feels like being cut with a knife while the shading(filling) are more in the area of a skin scrape that you get from tripping on your bike or something like that, but like @smelltheglove said the endorphins starts to kick in after about 7-10min and then it mostly just feel like having a sunburn same with the morning after.

Vacaliga

Verdict On The Pain Caused By Tattoos!

After going through these user experiences, you must have an idea what it’s like getting a tattoo. The pain in tattooing is determined by the part you are going to take them on. For example, fleshy parts like thighs will hurt less. Boney parts like ankle or shin are more painful. However, there are more things that determine tattoo pain for you.

Here are some of them…

1. Choosing the Right Artist:

It can make difference as a good tattoo artist knows how to carry out the process to minimize the pain as possible.

2. Know Body Parts According to the Pain Level:

The least painful body parts for tattooing are arms, legs, inside wrist, chest and thighs. This is because they have a lot of flesh that acts as cushion for the needle’s strike.

3. Don’t Take Alcohol or Coffee before Tattooing:

Alcohol and coffee (caffeine) may thin the blood which may lead to bleeding.

4. Take Adequate Rest:

A tattoo session lasts up to several hours depending on the size of your tattoo. This is why you should take enough rest to save your energy for the hourly long tattoos.

5. LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST—Use a Numbing Cream

Tattoos do hurt. And it is equally true that a numbing cream dulls the pain.

A numbing cream is a topical anesthetic that desensitizes the skin patch against any sensation. Once the cream is applied, the skin remains in a numb mode for an hour or two. It means that you don’t feel anything happening to your skin. The use of a numbing cream is more important when it comes to getting a tattoo over boney parts. It is easy to use. Just follow the steps given below…