Here are the top 10 places that will hurt like it’s not ones business and why.
We all are thrilled by the idea of getting tattoos; maybe you want it for an important reason or express your love. However, we certainly cannot ignore the fact that it is painful to get a tattoo. Yes we are creatures of habit, and after the consistent pain of needles jamming into your skin that area will get numb, but as the process starts, it will hurt like it’s no one’s business. They hurt even more if you get one on particular spots. Not all places hurt the same; it depends on how much bone is in that area and common sense says those areas will hurt the most. To let’s cut to the chase and discuss all those places where you should anticipate pain. Here are the ten places you should be warned about:
1. Thighs
Understanding anatomy is essential, just like we mentioned earlier about how parts with more bone would hurt more same goes with nerves. Two median nerves pass through our inner thigh that is further shooting off into branches of smaller nerves. The femoral and femoral cutaneous – these two place over the quadriceps and surrounding muscles in the leg. Due to these nerves, the inner thigh is a very delicate and sensitive area. As far as the back of the thigh is concerned, even that can be painful considering one of the largest nerves is passing through there called the sciatic nerve. It goes down from the center of your leg all the way down. So you better be aware of all this before you end up getting a tattoo here.
2. Joints
You need to keep in mind that there are nerves present everywhere, there are places that muscles are connecting and so are nerves. So when you think about joints like ankles, knees, and elbows – they are bony, they have connecting nerves, and there is not enough cushion there to help you feel less pain. The two largest nerves that pass through this area are called ulnar and median. They go through and through your arm, making it very painful for one to get a tattoo here. Be it at the back of the arm or inside; it’s pretty much same because you can’t run away from these nerves they are connecting to the whole of your arm. But as far as the backside of the knee is concerned, it’s way more painful as we earlier mentioned how the sciatic nerve passes through the whole body from the backside.
3. Spine
There is a reason words like ‘spineless’ are used for people who are weak. The most important and integral part of our body and what holds it together is the spine. It is most integral part of your body that connects to everything else with shooting signals everywhere. So if you decide to poke this place with a gazillion needles be prepared for the amount of pain you will be feeling all over the place. And not to forget the bone there, unless you are super fat – but that might not help you either. This tops amongst all the painful places for getting a tattoo.
4. Inner Arm
Nerves are not just on your legs and spine; there is a large bunch found in your upper arm and your forearm. That makes getting tattoos here excruciating as well. The same nerves that make it harder to get tattoos on our joints are connected to the nerves in the rest of arm. These places are sensitive, and this is the reason why people don’t get multiple tattoos in this area. Although we all want something made on our biceps, it is painful.
5. Throat/Neck
All the expressions your make and senses you use are due to the nerves that connect to your spine. There are about 20 main nerves that are attached only to make us see things, hear stuff, eat food and taste it, the function of our nose and all our expressions. Our neck is filled with soft tissues surrounding our windpipe, and our collarbone is popping out – so if you decide to get yourself tattooed here, you are in for some serious pain. Our collarbone is not cushioned with anything and directing hitting it with needles is not a very good idea.
6. Head/Face
The integral and center of your body is the spine, but that does not mean that it is the only major station, your head being the other. 12 main nerves connect and pass through here that help us move the muscles in our face and neck. These nerves are not just responsible for making you move but also sense things be it smell or feeling how hot or cold it is. The ability of sight and hearing is also connected to this with other things. The cushion you have for this area is very less as our cheek bones are protruding out as well as our cheeks. Our skull is most bone, and the force of needles on it will be as painful as getting hit by a truck. Deer vs. Headlights anyone?
7. Hands & Feet
As we talked about how it is not a good idea to be poking bones with needles, same goes for your hands – they are not exactly the softest places ever. We also cannot forget and ignore how our nerves end somewhere, and that place happens to be our hands and fingertips. The sole of our feet are sensitive spots, not just that but also the spaces between our toes and fingers are incredibly sensitive. Due to nerve endings, the fingertips and palms are also places that will hurt a lot if tattooed. These areas are used the most which are why even if you get a tattoo, it will fade away and will need consistent touch ups time and time again.
8. Genitals & Groins
Considering that our private parts and surrounding area such as our groin as a lot of nerves present there that help us in the sensations and function of sex. From excitement to sex itself and breeding. Our zones where a touch can send pleasant shivers down our spine and excite us can also torture the hell out of us if it’s done with needles. And there is no difference between men and women; it hurts equally the same for both then genders. These areas are very painful and can drive you up a wall if you stick to getting a tattoo here.
9. Armpits
I doubt many people want to get their armpits tattooed but if you do decide to get this place tattooed be ready for some hardcore pain. This area gets a lot of friction, and we have our major sweating glands here. Nerves pass through this region to connect our shoulders to our triceps and a few other surrounding muscles. The sweat glands are sensitive as well, this would probably be the second most painful place to get a tattoo.
10. Ribcage
To understand how thin the tissue around your ribcage is, just try taking a deep breath in and then breathing it out. How we expand when we breathe shows us that we hardly have any cushion around it. The ribcage is a bone on its own. Now imagine getting poked with needles here, it’s not a pleasant thought. It is considered to take the cake; it is the most painful place to be getting a tattoo on. It will not kill you, but you would have to seriously control your breathing while you are getting a tattoo in this region.
11. Managing the Pain of Getting a Tattoo
Everyone has different reasons for getting a tattoo and why one is ready to put through all this pain. It can be to show how fearless you are or opposite that you want to fear the pain that you even dread thinking about. If you are not choosy about where you want a tattoo, then go for the place that has the most padding and less bone. If you want it in a particular location and can’t compromise on it then there are different skin creams available that will help you numb the region for a while.
Another thing that needs to be kept in mind is that if you are tense and anxious about the whole process that will just heighten your sense of pain. So staying relaxed is a top priority in all cases. There is a reason many people talk through the process or listen to music instead of being scared and focusing on the pain. You can even try some yoga breathing exercises that will help you do this if you are not good at controlling your mind. You want your muscles to lose and calmed down instead of being stiff. To reduce the anxiety, you can even have herbal teas like chamomile or a hot milk to make yourself more relaxed. Natural remedies are the way to go, even after the process when you tattoo is healing. This way you can make the whole experience less horrible and painful for yourself.
