What Are The Most Painful Places To Get Tattoos?

If you’ve booked your tattoo appointment or if you’re ready to take the plunge, you’ll probably already have decided where on your body you want to get it done. However, one factor that you may want to bear in mind is the amount of pain you’re likely to experience. It’s no secret that some areas of the body are more painful to get inked than others, so if you have a low pain threshold or if you’re feeling anxious about the discomfort, you may want to avoid any of the following places.

The Ribs

Although most people with multiple tattoos will have their own opinions about which area was most painful, there’s a general consensus that the ribs are an especially painful body part to get tattooed. The reason for this is that there is less skin, muscle, and fat on the ribcage so the needle’s scratching can be felt a lot more. Also, the nerves that surround the ribs are close to the skin’s surface, so this too causes increased pain. One further reason for rib tattoos hurting is that your ribs move each time you take a breath, so the process is more uncomfortable.

The Head

Head tattoos are less common than rib ones, but nevertheless, they are said to be extremely painful due to the large number of nerves paired with the small amount of fat. The vibration and noise also make this area very uncomfortable to tattoo since it can feel like your skull is being drilled!

The Inner Thigh

Although the inner thigh should theoretically be a less painful area to tattoo since it isn’t near a bone and there’s plenty of muscle and flesh, in reality, it’s pretty uncomfortable to get inked. The reason for this is that the area is less exposed than other body parts and therefore, it’s more sensitive. It’s also more painful during the healing process since it rubs against the other leg frequently.

Inner Arm And Elbow

The reason for this area being so painful to tattoo is due to the presence of two primary arm nerves which run below the inner elbow and make it very sensitive. If the nerves here become pinched, pain runs through the whole arm and not only the area beneath the needle.

Ankles And Feet

Tattoos on the feet and ankles are popular, but they can be very painful due to the skin being very close to the bone and there being little fat in the area to cushion it against the needle’s strokes.

Inner Wrist

Similar to tattoos on the ankles and feet, the inner wrist is painful to get inked due to a lack of fat. There are also many nerve endings in this area that add to the discomfort too.

Fingers And Hands

The skin on the fingers and hands is thin which makes it more sensitive to pain. Ligaments and bone in this area make it difficult for the ink to stick properly so the artist often needs to go back over their design several times, making it extra sore.

The Armpit

Although armpit tattoos are relatively uncommon, they are very painful to get done since the armpit is the location of the axillary nerve and glands. Also, the skin in this area is very sensitive.

Can Tattoo Numbing Creams Help?

So, what do you do if you want to get a tattoo in one of these areas but you don’t want to experience the pain? A tattoo numbing cream like Need To Be Numb could be the perfect solution. Eliminating the discomfort from the procedure, a numbing cream desensitises the skin making it easy to get the body art you desire with none of the unwelcome pain.