It’s impossible to talk about tattoos without talking about pain. Those who have a number of them might claim that the pain is very minimal, but chances are that they’ll have some pretty good stories associated with ones that hurt more than others. The fact is, tattoos do hurt. There are small needles going into the skin very rapidly, and common sense dictates that this will certainly cause some unpleasant sensations. This article will look a bit into the nature of those unpleasant sensations, and also talk a little bit about pain in general. The question about how bad they hurt is, of course, very relative, but there are some guidelines that will be helpful.
When it comes to pain, everybody is different. People have different pain thresholds, and they all tolerate it very differently. There are some who can withstand enormously painful experiences if they are short in duration, but a little pain stretched out over a long period can be very painful, and vice versa. In earlier generations, there were ideas that pain had a kind of quantifiable constant, and that certain experiences felt the same for everybody. Today, the attitudes about pain are different, because there is more information. It is a very subjective phenomenon, and pain levels are different. Some people will perceive the needle as a discomfort, and others perceive any kind of discomfort as pain.
The important thing, then, is to be knowledgeable about the process, and to be comfortable enough that you can communicate with the artist while they’re working on you. If you’re feeling queasy, or like you could use a break, by all means speak up. They’re used to dealing with people and their own peculiar thresholds for pain, and they don’t get paid for being cruel. Also be aware that some areas are more painful than others. The spots with a lot of flesh tend to absorb pain quickly, and those areas where there is bone and nerve close to the skin are particularly sensitive. Also be aware that the body produces natural endorphins to fight pain, and these will kick in pretty quickly once the whole process starts. So get relaxed, think of ways you can distract yourself, and have good, open communication with the tattoo artist, and enjoy the experience with a clear mind.
