One question that always comes up when you are considering a tattoo is, ‘Does it hurt?’. Two things need to be taken into account when answering that question, the location on your body you have it done and the place you go to and have it done.
It is well known that some spots on your body will hurt more than other if you have a tattoo on them. From experience I can say anywhere with bone near the surface will be more painful. Try to get it somewhere like the top of your bum etc where there is ‘padding’ to protect you.
You can get your tat done on your upper arm if you are worried about how much it will hurt, mine didn’t hurt much at all. Or you can have them done on the lower part of your leg (the back or side not the front!) which I have heard is also good.
One thing to remember is that even if you have a perfect tattoo and it doesn’t hurt a bit, if you don’t look after it then it will probably be painful anyway! It is an open wound and you need to look after it like anything else or it can get infected and then you will in trouble.
Check with your artist about how best to look after your new tattoo, they usually have special wax that works wonders for it. If you do not keep your tattoo moisturised then it can form scabs, which if knocked off will take bits of your tattoo with them.
You may do everything right though and still get an infection, this would be the artists fault in that case. Getting a tattoo splits the skin and makes it open to infection, so if the parlor is not clean, or heaven forbid, they reuse needles, then you stand the chance of picking up and infection. The only way to prevent this is to scope out the place before you commit to anything. Try and ask if you can watch someone else first. That way you get to see if they are using fresh needles and taking good care before you put yourself in the hotseat.
Some inks are made from weird things, you need to be careful as if you are allergic to certain things then having it basically injected into you will not do you any good. Check with the parlour what type of inks they use (cheap inks may be dangerous to you) before you start.
Is having a tattoo painful? Sure, if you don’t follow the proper precautions and carry out background research. To avoid a painful tattoo, have it done on a suitable part of your body and go to a parlor that comes recommended from someone you know who has a tattoo already from there!
