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Tattoo Pain Chart: The Most and Least Painful Places to Get a Tattoo

Factors That Affect Tattoo Pain: Most and Least Painful Places To Get A Tattoo

If you are considering getting that tattoo that you have always wanted but are a bit hesitant and concerned about the pain you may experience through the procedure, we have a few things for you to consider. Not everyone experiences the same amount of pain and many actually find it to be quite a therapeutic process! If pain on certain tattoo zones is something that is concerning you, we here at Cleopatra Ink have come up with a few factors that may impact the pain that you experience through the process!

Age, Weight and Gender

When it comes to thinking about the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, age, weight and gender do come into play. If you are heavy-set, your skin may be more stretched out compared to others with a smaller frame. This ends up making your skin more sensitive which can increase the amount of pain that you experience. On the other hand, if you are very skinny, you may also experience a bit of discomfort when getting a tattoo. This is because those with less fat on their skin do not have as much to protect bones and nerves.

Age has a similar effect on those who are heavy-set as their skin does tend to be more stretched out than those who are younger! This sensitivity generally makes the skin more sensitive and ultimately results in older people experiencing more pain and discomfort through the process. The most and least painful places to get a tattoo may differ according to this factor.

When it comes to gender, studies have proven that the female and male tattoo pain chart is a bit different. This may differ according to the weight of the person as well as their age and their general pain tolerance! Knowing the most and least painful places to get a tattoo can help you to decide where the best placement is for your next tattoo and taking your age, weight and gender into account can ensure it is as painless as possible.

Tattoo Features

If you are going in for a smaller tattoo with fewer features, you do not have to be as concerned about the pain you may experience. When considering the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, considering how big and how intricate the tattoo actually is can help you to decide on where to place it. If you are getting a larger tattoo with features like shading and strong thick lines, you may experience a bit more pain through the process. If this is a first-time tattoo, we do generally suggest going for something a bit smaller and less intricate to get you started!

Experience

Many say that the fear before getting a tattoo can often be worse than the pain itself and for those who are new to the world of tattoos, you may be a bit more nervous than those who have gotten a tattoo before. Knowing what to expect and the general process behind what happens when getting a tattoo can put your mind at ease. As you get a bit more relaxed, you may experience less of a response to the pain on the tattoo pain scale, making it a better experience. When considering where the most and least painful places to get a tattoo are on your body, we do recommend that you take experience into account.

What are The Most Painful Places To Get A Tattoo?

Knowing the most and least painful places to get a tattoo can help you to decide what is best for you. Using a pain chart for tattoos to decipher the areas that should probably be avoided can ensure that you have the best experience possible when getting your tattoo done! The following is a list of some of the tattoo pain areas to consider.

Face, Head and Neck

Just touching your face, head and neck, you will be able to feel the different bones that are exposed and covered by a thin layer of skin rather than fat. As you do not have many fatty deposits on your face, tattooing in this region is probably one of the more painful parts of your body to get a tattoo done. Another factor that contributes to the pain of getting a tattoo on your face are all of the nerve endings that you have in this region. Tattoo needles on nerve endings can increase the amount of pain that you experience. When it comes to the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, your face, head and neck are quite up there in terms of pain and soreness.

Spine

Many would love the idea of getting a tattoo along their spine as this is quite an elegant and beautiful place to put a piece of artwork. In terms of the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, your spine happens to be one of the sorest areas to get a tattoo. Most people do not have any fat along their spine and if you are heavier, the fat and skin in this region would have been stretched out which can make this skin more sensitive. All in all, if you are going for a spine tattoo, you should be prepared for a certain amount of pain throughout the process!

Chest, Rib Cage and Ribs

Your chest, rib cage and ribs are also quite sore in terms of the amount of pain you go through when getting a tattoo. The skin over this part of your body tends to be quite thin, meaning that the tattoo gun will be piercing right along the bones of your ribs. When thinking about the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, you may want to avoid the chest, rib cage and rib area of your body!

Feet and Ankles

When it comes to the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, feet and ankles have been known to be one of the spots that are the sorest. The thin skin of the area along the foot and ankle is incredibly thin and with the fact that there are many bones in this region, it can be particularly uncomfortable to get a tattoo on this part of your body. If you are hoping to get something on your foot or ankle, we would recommend going for something small with as little detailing and color as possible.

Armpit

Many would assume that your armpit would be one of the least sore spots to get a tattoo as it does not sit along any sort of bone and seems to be quite protected. Unfortunately, the axillary nerve runs right through your armpit and connects to many other nerve endings in this region of your body. Along with nerve endings, armpits hold your lymph nodes which are incredibly sensitive, which causes more pain and discomfort. Another thing to consider getting an armpit tattoo is that it is often very hard to stay still, making the process even harder and more uncomfortable.

Elbow and Knees

Getting tattooed on your elbows and knees also tends to come with quite a bit of pain. These parts of your body sit directly on bone and when the tattoo gun creates vibrations through the tattooing process, this can be quite painful and uncortable. When considering the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, remember that when a part of your skin sits right on top of any bone, it is usually going to be quite sore!

Groin

Your groin is a sensitive part of your body and so tattoos tend to be more painful in this region. When it comes to looking for the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, you may want to avoid this area. If you are hoping to get a groin tattoo, higher up and to the side of your waist, away from your hip bone, tend to be the best areas to get a tattoo on this region of your body.

Stomach

While you do have a layer of fat and skin to protect your stomach and there are no bones in this part of the body, getting a tattoo on your stomach is still quite painful. The amount of pain that is experienced does tend to depend on how taught this part of your body is and whether or not the skin has been stretched out. Stretched skin is more painful to tattoo so those with a higher amount of fat in this region will probably experience more pain and discomfort. Therefore, when it comes to looking at the most and least painful places to get a tattoo on your body, the pain level does depend on the person.

What is The Least Painful Place To Get A Tattoo?

If you are getting a tattoo for the first or even second time or are just not a fan of the pain during the process, you may want to give the above spots a miss! Knowing where the most and least painful places to get a tattoo are can ensure that you do not put yourself in a situation where you will not be able to handle the pain. To ensure that you can still get that dream tattoo without having to worry about the pain you may experience through the process, we have also looked to include some of the least painful areas to get a tattoo!

Outer Arms and Forearms

Your arms and forearms contain a lot of thick skin, muscle and have very few nerve endings! This makes it one of the best places to get a tattoo if you are looking for a spot without too much pain. This spot also offers a fantastic area for tattoos, with many beautiful and vibrant designs going perfectly. Whether you are getting a tattoo for the first time or are a seasoned pro, we would highly recommend considering your outer arms and forearms for your next tattoo.

Upper Outer Thigh

When looking at the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, you will find that the upper outer thigh happens to be one of the best spots to get a tattoo! Your outer thigh is covered in a thick layer of skin, fat and muscles that protects the bones from the vibrations of the tattoo gun. If you are looking for a great spot to put a tattoo that can only be seen when you want it to be seen, we would recommend the upper outer thigh.

Parts Of The Back

While some parts of your back, like your spine and shoulder blades, may be a bit sore to get tattooed, the upper and lower parts of your back are protected by a thicker layer of skin and muscle. On the chart of the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, these parts of your back are considered to be the best places!

Shoulder

While many may think that a shoulder would be a better place to get a tattoo, the outer region of this area on your body has thick skin with very few nerve endings. The lack of nerve endings makes it a great spot to get a tattoo! As far as the most and least painful places to get a tattoo on your body go, certain parts of the shoulder are considered to be less sensitive.

Calves

Calves are made up of a fatty layer of skin and muscles making it a great place to get a tattoo. When looking at the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, it is important to think about the thickness of the layer of skin covering certain parts of your body and your calves are one of the best areas to get a tattoo!

What Can You Do to Minimize Tattoo Pain?

Knowing the most and least painful places to get a tattoo is one of the best ways to ensure that you do not put yourself in a situation that you are uncomfortable with. While it is an important step to check the chart of tattoo pain, there are also other things that you can do to minimize the discomfort. The following is a list of the best things to do to avoid a large amount of discomfort when getting a tattoo.

Put Numbing Cream on the Area: Along with knowing where the most and least painful places to get a tattoo are, you can also use numbing cream on the area. A few hours before you get your tattoo, you may want to try and numb the area as much as possible. Numbing cream can be purchased as an over-the-counter item and offers a quick and easy way to reduce the pain of the tattooing process.

Pain Killers: Another option to consider is taking painkillers before you go in. Painkillers can be a great way to lower the amount of pain you feel throughout the process. While painkillers do help, it is incredibly important to take painkillers that do not thin the blood. An example of these kinds of blood-thinning pain killers is aspirin. Be sure to check with a pharmacist to find the best painkillers without blood-thinning properties. When looking at where the most and least painful places to get a tattoo are on your body, you can decide if you think that painkillers are necessary! For those particularly sensitive spots, we would recommend taking some painkillers.

When it comes to the most and least painful places to get a tattoo, one of the best things you can do is be sure that you go to a reputable tattoo studio like Cleopatra Ink!