Getting tattooed involves a great amount of pain, since the tattoo will be pierced into your skin. The pain exists irrespective of the size and location of the tattoo on your body. Well! There is no easy way to predict the amount of pain while getting a tattoo. No tattoo artist will ensure that you won't get hurt in the process of tattooing. The type and amount of pain to be experienced varies significantly between individuals based on their tolerance and pain acceptance. So you can never easily anticipate the amount and severity of the pain.
During the tattooing process, the needles pierce the skin at a rapid pace to varying depths. Usually tattooing the outline is the most painful one, since the needles will be inserted deeper to form the solid black line in order to mark out the tattoo precisely. This step ensures that the tattoo has an effective coverage. The next step of shading does not involve as much pain as the outline. However, shading does need some penetration so that the colors remain intact in your skin for longer periods. So it also involves a good amount of pain.
This pain is usually a burning or scratching sensation. In general, it is more painful while the tattoo is applied on parts, which include fewer muscles and more fatty tissues like wrists, chest, ankles and other sensitive areas of the body. Upper arms are the least painful of all, whereas sternum and ankles are the most painful.
Though the pain is not totally unbearable, the following are some tips to cope with and minimize the pain.
Locate a trustworthy tattoo artist, with whom you feel comfortable to work with. He must be able to boost up your self-confidence in order to minimize the pain. This actually works well!
Prior to getting tattooed, do not drink or take any drugs.
Be strong-minded that you can bear the pain and accept a few hours of discomfort easily. By doing so, you can get a high-quality tattoo without giving a hard time to the artist.
When you feel you cannot bear it anymore, just inform, take a break and arrange a second sitting in a few days time. Tattoos need not be completed in one go!
Do relax yourself by listening to music or imagining a beautiful scenery or reading your favorite author's book. Diversion helps since you will concentrate less on pain.
Just enjoy the new unique experience instead of getting jittery over the pain. Remember to come out as a new personality out of the tattoo studio.