Pain is part of getting a tattoo. For some people the pain is even an important part of the experience because it allows them to more fully connect with their physical existences. Regardless of your attitude about the pain of the tattooing process, you are certainly interested in how much it will hurt as you anticipate your first tattoo.
The first thing for you to understand is that pain is subjective. This means that people feel pain in different ways and cope with it according to their own abilities. For example, if you are particularly worried and nervous about pain, then you are preparing your brain to interpret the pain in a strongly negative way. You may have heard of people referring to their pain tolerance. Some people say they have a high tolerance to pain and others are quite aware that they have a low tolerance for pain. Much of your tolerance for pain will derive from your mental preparation for the experience and your acceptance that getting the tattoo will hurt.
In addition to individual attitudes toward pain, some concrete factors do influence how much getting a tattoo will hurt.
1. The location of the tattoo - Some places on the body are more sensitive than others. The skin over less fleshy and more boney areas such as the ankles is often reported to be a more painful area to get a tattoo. Although few people get face or head tattoos, these are sensitive areas that can be more painful than other parts of the body.
2. The size of the tattoo - Logically, a large tattoo will be more painful to have applied to the skin than a small tattoo. Large tattoos require the skin to be pierced by the tattoo needle more.
3. The complexity of the tattoo - Even if a tattoo is not very large, it can be more painful to receive than a simple tattoo if the tattoo design is intricate and is filled with color. Once again, an intricate color-filled tattoo requires more needle work and causes more pain than tattoos based on simple one-color lines.
With some planning, you can lessen the impact of pain on your tattoo experience. First, you should not allow yourself to become overly fearful of the pain. If you are committed to getting a tattoo for sound reasons, then you should accept the pain as a part of the process and visualize yourself dealing with the pain in a positive fashion. You can try considering the pain as an element of a ritual experience that will add to the meaning of your tattoo.
Bringing along moral support is always a good idea. Friends or family members can help distract you from pain by offering encouragement and pleasant conversation. Tattoo studios are typically accommodating of guests and allow one or more supporters to be present during a tattoo application.
If you are getting a large or complex tattoo, you should also consider that it does not necessarily have to be done all at once. Your tattoo artist should be sensitive to your level of discomfort and be willing to offer you breaks. Also you and your artist could work out a schedule of multiple tattoo sessions so as to spread out the work and the pain.
Finally, topical anesthetic creams are available that may be helpful in lessening the pain by numbing the skin. This option would have to be discussed with have your tattoo artist to get his or her opinion about the effectiveness of such products.
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