I Am Getting My First Tattoo: Does It Really Hurt?

Hey Ya'll.

I am about to celebrate a pretty healthy birthday, I'll just say I was born in interesting and turbulent times, and grew up in the days of Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Santana, Lynard Skynard....You get the picture, most of my friends got tattoos years ago, but not me. When I see other women's tattoos I oooo and ahhhh because I love them, I think they are sexy (if done well) and have wanted to join the ranks of the tattooed, but the idea of the pain freaks me out. Well, I am having a 'suprise' tattooing for my birthday next month. Yeah, I already know about it, because they told my husband and all my friend and family know I want one but have been chicken, my hubby knows how I feel and told me to prepare myself, it is about to happen, he didn't want me to freak out.

I am anemic, does that matter when getting a tattoo? Just take extra iron maybe? How much does it hurt, really, I mean, really tell me, don't pussyfoot around, if it hurts like hell just tell me it does, and I will be ready for that! Does it hurt worse on you leg than on your back? Should I be drunk? How deep do the needles go? How do you make positive sure your needles are sterile? What are some techniques to handle the pain if it is severe?

Help!

edit to add: What about pre tattoo pain pills?

[edit on 26-1-2010 by space cadet]

Do not get a tattoo over scar tissue.

I have a burn on my arm and when I got a tattoo to cover it, it hurt like hell on the scar tissue. Otherwise, it does hurt, but not to bad.

Say about the same as constant hornet stings, just kidding.

It hurts a tiny bit at first but then the pain goes away, but starts to hurt again after a few hours. Not bad though. I would say that getting a shot hurts 5 times worse. The needle barely breaks the skin. GO FOR IT!!! Oh and this is more of a BTS topic so I suspect it will be getting moved there any minute now.



[edit on 26-1-2010 by kleverone]

Yes it hurts. It hurts more over bone and when filling in the colors.

Don't be worried though, when I had my first one at 28 the guy doing it works a lot on Bikers, so he told me, "I've had hard men cry, one even fainted, so don't be afraid to tell me if it is more than you can take and we will have a breather."

Don't know about alcohol before, or pills, maybe just go in and take some music to listen to, to focus on instead of the burning sensations. It helps if you are as relaxed mentally, emotionally and physically as possible.

Oh, and I handled my first, despite it being 100 degrees plus with no A/C.. I just focused on other things.

I had my first one when i was 18.


DO NOT GET DRUNK, in fact some artists won't work on you if you are because it will cause alot of bleeding.

If you have painkillers pop some of those. it feels like a needle scratching at your skin, ... it hurts like a mofo but it's bearable, .. I've seen some girls start crying during a sessiong, but never enough to make them stop.

take some music with you to put your mind somewhere else, and most tattoo's take at least an hour, ... to a few hours.

After your done with it go to Walmart and in the pet section they have a green can called BAGBALM, ... its used for cow's udders when they scratch them up, .... this stuff is better than neosporin, will help it heal faster, and won't cause any color " bleeding" or fading.

Can you put up a pic of what your gonna get ???

Don't drink alcohol before a tatoo, you won't stop bleeding lol. The pain also depends on where it's placed. The shin, spine, anything over boney areas or near nerves will hurt more. I did a small tattoo on my wrist for starters and it was nothing compared to any piercing.

When I had mine done it felt like ,you know a cat scratch? thats what it feels like, only constantly depending on how big the tattoo. Painfull at first ., but numbs a few minutes later.

i'm pretty much done with my art (pretty much anyway). i have both arms sleeved, a full chest panel (my whole chest), legs, blah blah blah.

for me it depends on where you get it as to how bad it hurts. places that have little fatty tissue (sternum for example is just skin, nerves, bone) hurt like hell. also, places that are not exposed to the elements usually hurt worse.

girls tend to handle the process and the pain that comes with it better than men. for example my wife sat through roughly 10 hours of pain to get her back tattoo'd and it was awesome to watch her sit and not even so much as wince. meanwhile, i have seen men pass out and defecate themselves, puke, and, 2 times even saw them get up and leave about 15 minutes into it.

we are yella lol!

cheers,
aa

Originally posted by space cadet
Well, I am having a 'suprise' tattooing for my birthday next month.
[edit on 26-1-2010 by space cadet]

At least get the spelling right... or is that deliberate? LOL

Like everyone will tell you it's not that bad, just depends on where you get it, I didn't read the whole thing, so I don't know if you mentioned it.

Still it's not that bad, hell, I got a tribal around my left bicep tricep and the whole arm stuff... and i'm too big of a ******** to attempt to get my ear pierced!

Do NOT drink alcohol, nor take asprin. Both of these thin your blood and will cause problems with clotting, leading to excessive blood loss. Not so much deadly, but much more then you would normally bleed and for longer. Possibly would make it difficult for the artist to work in such conditions.

As for pain, I have two tattoos, one on each upper arm, and got them both the same day. It wasnt nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. I have no problems getting a tattoo, but am deathly afraid of a dentist, lol. Although, I agree it largely depends on where you are getting the ink done. Less fatty areas will hurt more.

Just take a needle and poke yourself in certain spots, no need to break the skin, but just see how it feels on different parts. There can be quite a large difference between one area and another that is very close to it. My underarm was a bit of a pain, but an inch away it wasnt nearly as bad.

Hopefully you've thought long and hard about what you are getting. It will be there for the rest of your life, or until you pay a lot of money to have it removed. Dont do it to impress someone, do it for yourself. Hell, most people I know aren't aware of mine.

I find that the outlining is like a finger being run across the skin...painless. The inking in hurts a bit. If the tattooist is good, he or she'll be talking and distracting you. This way it doesn't hurt much. I gotta add that for a week or two after, the colors look amazing and bright. They fade a little after the skin heals. Oh yeah, the thicker the skin and body fat, the lesser the pain...top of arm painless....inside lower arm...painful!

A good parlour will advise ointment. Bepanthen (nappy/diaper ointment) is recommended or cocoa butter help healing.

[edit on 26-1-2010 by Kandinsky]

It can be painful at times, since it's your first, try and not go for a big sitting, anything under 3 hours your adrenaline usually takes care of you, and NEVER drink before it (alcohol), it hurts more and you bleed more. But pain and all, totally worth it, you will be on cloud 9 for the next couple of days after you get it done, and show us a picture if it's not too personal! I got my first at 17, and so far i have about 20hrs worth, booking in for more after baby though

And bepanthen is great for aftercare, when you get home after about an hour or so wash it gently with soap and water, then pat it dry gently and put your aftercare cream on it, never let it dry out and NEVER pick at the scabs or scratch it no matter how itchy it will get

[edit on 26/1/2010 by bkaust]

I make most of my money tattooing.

it really doesnt hurt.. i rarely feel a thing

but honestly.. it only hurts as much as you anticipate it will. it is all nerves, and if you go in there calm you will notice that the skin petty much goes numb after a few minutes. Your body actually goes into a mild form of shock due to it being perforated. I have seen a 6'5 police officer faint, simply while getting the stencil applied, because he was scared of needles and was so worked up.

the needles go into the second layer of skin, and like others said, hurts more where there is less fat or muscle. But if the tattooist is working properly it mostly just feels like an indian sunburn.

DO NOT get drunk, not only because of the bleeding, but because you will be moving around a lot more making it tougher for the artist to get good lines, let alone annoy the patience out of him.
I wouldnt recommend pain killers either because you might not know how they will interact with your body while it is under the stress of a tattoo. Just escape into some music and enjoy the experience!

as for sterility most artists will set up in front of a client and open packaged sterilized needles, tubes, grips, etc. so that you will have the ease of mind of knowing they are safe. About your anemia, you should call ahead to some tattoo shops and see what they know or if they can find out. You are the first person ive heard ask that so off the top of my head i have no answer.

hope it goes well!

If you've ever run through a thorn bush, it feels about like that, for about 3 minutes, then it goes deadened and you feel pretty much nothing. Bring an Ipod and you probably won't feel anything at all........

Not really..

I guess it depends on your pain thresh hold though.

It feels like a mild burning scratching... Although being honest when i got my first one done, at times i forgot it was even happening.

I guess it may hurt more on the bone though...

The first thing to be done is always the outline.
This is usually the least pleasant part. But don’t hold your breath! Some
people have actually passed out while getting a tattoo,not from the pain but
from the panic! Try to relax, and after a minute your skin will get used to the
sensation. This tip and others you can learn in tattoo school if you're interested I was there www.tattooschoolthailand.com... and I can really recommend this place to you people

a reply to: space cadet



edit*
didnt realize this was 10 years old

So did she ever get the tattoo?

originally posted by: mikeone718
So did she ever get the tattoo?

probably has a full back piece by now.
rocking the samcro reaper
hahaha