How painful are tattoos?

I don't know about the piercing stuff, but I have three tattoos so far and am planning on getting more. As for how painful they are, that varies from person to person and on where you plan to get yours. I have a small one on my upper arm which felt a bit like someone was scratching me with a pencil. My inner, lower arm tattoo hurt a bit more and at one point felt a bit like someone was tearing at the skin. Then my largest piece is on my lower leg [takes up most of it] and while that one hurt about as much as my upper arm tattoo, I was under the gun longer and the soreness made it difficult to walk on.

As for styles, get something that makes you happy. You'll enjoy tattoos more if they mean something and look good to you. I also know many guys who personally have rose tattoos, and one guy who has a female lion, so a panther isn't a bad idea either. I would say that doesn't really matter though so long as you like it. My biggest piece of advice is to find a professional artist who works in a clean environment. Bring an example of what you want if you can, and expect your artist to give you size and style options. It's their job to make the tattoo look as good as possible.

 

I think if you've really thought it out and want it, it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks, whether they think its weird for a guy or unsexy.

Pain depends on where you get it and your own pain tolerance. The tattoo on my wrist was relatively low. Shading hurts the most..I'd give the tattoo on my wrist a 3 or 4 out of 10. I also have a tattoo on my finger..it hurt...terribly..I'd rate it an 8 or 9 out of 10, but I was able to keep a straight face. I've heard certain parts of the arm and leg could hurt. I assume the hip could hurt, but I've never talked to someone personally about the pain level.

 

I don't have one but I've heard a lot of it depends on where you get one. I've heard specifically parts where your skin is closer to bones hurt the most (ex. Fingers or your chest)

 

I have 9 and none of them hurt too bad where I wouldn't go through it a million times again with the exception of the one on my ankle. Almost couldn't even finish that one it hurt so bad lol. If you're sentimental like I am, pick the one that has the most meaning to you, otherwise you'll regret it. If you're not like that then just pick the one that makes you most happy in the place you think you like it best.

---------- Post added 20th Dec 2016 at 10:31 PM ----------

Also, to answer your question, yes, tattoos are sexy on guys. But that's a matter of opinion. In my opinion it's very sexy. And you shouldn't worry about losing weight before/after getting a tattoo. People change sizes all the times and if you lose like 100 pounds it will affect it a bit but otherwise it's not too big of a deal.

 

Are they painful? - It depends on your pain tolerance and where you're getting it done. Areas like your hips, ribs, feet, hands, neck, and head are more sensitive than your arms or legs, but it depends on your threshold too.

Are they weird for a guy? - Hell no. Tattoos don't have a gender.

Are they sexy on guys? / lei rings - To each his own. I find them attractive, but some don't. Be sure you're getting tattoos four the right reason, and not to impress someone. I'm not sure what lei rings are, so sorry.

Getting repierced - You won't know until then. However, go to your local professional piercer at a reputable piercing/tattoo shop for this. So that means don't go too Claire's or some place like that where they use a gun, because that's not safe.

I hope this helps

- an aspiring piercer

 

Fyi the inside of the upper are gets a little tender. Told the artist I should have brought a stick to bite on....

---------- Post added 20th Dec 2016 at 10:57 PM ----------

arm

 

I mainly meant calves when I initially wrote that, so my mistake.

 

daydreamer, no problem tis all good!

 

if its over the bone im told it can be a bit painful, but I got one in October and in truth it was annoying and a bit irritating but not painful. it can hurt a bit after but again, not bad. kind of like a sunburn pain.

 

healing is different sometimes. My artist recommended aquaphor to help with the healing. At first, it normally has this sort of bubbling look and it will burn some [like a sunburn feeling] then when the weeping stops it will start to peel. I noticed my line art tattoo skipped the weeping and bubbling phase and just peeled right away. Other tattoos with more shading seems to weep longer. When it does start to peel, you have to be careful not to scrub or pick at the skin, as you could end up with sort of bald spots [I have one on my first tattoo from absently picking it]

You don't let it get submerged, and you never scrub it, only dab to dry from showers and gentle rubbing for creams or moisturizer.

[I feel like I'm forgetting something...]

Your artist will likely recomend ways to care for it while it heals.

 

According to a friend who has several tattoos the worst isn't the pain "per second" but how long it takes to do the finish one session. The longer it takes the worse it becomes because you tend to get more sensitive to pain as the session drags on.

 

The closer to the bone, the more it hurts. It also depends on the design, size and details. Line work (the black lines) is usually more painful than shading (colouring in) since it's a press and drag action instead of a left-to-right action. The needles used for line work is also usually smaller, and the needles for shading is a bit bigger and covers a lot more area at a time, making it faster than line work.

Just remember to stay away from alcohol the day before, and on the day of getting inked, as alcohol will make you bleed more, and will make it hard for the ink to "stick".

Here's a guide to which areas are the most to least painful. No matter where you get tattooed, it's going to hurt. That said, I was very lucky with two of my tattoos. The one on my inner forearm didn't hurt, like at all. And the one behind my ear - which is a bony area and supposed to be super painful - also didn't hurt. All I felt was the vibrations from the machine. And it's a very small tattoo too, which I guess also helped.




Just some advice for you regarding the design: Print out a picture of what you want to get and put it somewhere where you will see it every day. If you don't grow tired of it after about a month, then get it as a tattoo. That way the chance that you'd grow tired of it as a tattoo, is way less. Just remember that cover-ups are often much larger and more complex, and the darker the colours you're using, the harder it is to cover up. I got my first tattoo (Chinese "dragon" symbol on my right ankle) covered up recently, and the symbol was black ink. I covered it with colour (dark green) and it took two touch-ups to cover it completely, with my artist having to bring a bit of black into it too. So just keep that in mind. Be sure of what you want to get done. Happy inking!

 

I have 5 and only 1 I would say was HORRIBLE pain wise.
Behind my ear was bout a 5/10 it felt like (sounds obvious but lol) a needle piercing me over and over then it was hot.

My inner arm was about a 3/10, i honestly almost fell asleep getting this. some spots were a bit nippy but nothing pain wise at all really

My thigh was about 8/10 that so far has been the absolute worst. It started quite near my butt cheek though and goes down my thigh the lower down my thigh the pain was more bearable but near my butt cheek owwwwch. Literally felt like someone was scratching my flesh off my body but so slowly. The best healing tattoo i have had as nothing has faded or anything, but painful.

My shin was at some points a 7/10 along the shin bone but mostly a 4 the heat was the most uncomfortabel thing i just needed some ice on it lol. It was sensitive washing it though for daaaays, owchie. Im getting my other shin done at some point, it was nothing like my thigh at all, (thats what i compare all my tattoos to now lol).

My calf was again like my inner arm about a 3, but it goes quite near my knee crease but meh... it didnt bother me. nippy up the top yeah but nothing bad at all.

All depends on the person though, tons of people have said the thigh doesnt hurt but it hurt me so bad. so just depends on the person and the pain tolerance you have

 

I only have one (for the time being) and it is on my wrist. It was pretty painful, but nothing that can't be handled.

The aftercare is what got me. Nobody explained to me how to take care of a tattoo afterwards. It scabbed over bad and I, like a moron, picked the scabs. I am SO very lucky it didn't mess it up. The itch I have to say was 10000% worse than getting the tattoo done, haha. It only itched so bad because I didn't take care of it properly.

I ran into a video once discussing tatuderm, there is also another "derm" product not specifically for tattoo's but does the same. You may want to check into that. I think I may go that route when I start my sleeve.

I will echo the others on the sex appeal. It all depends on that person.

Good luck on your goals! Make sure to keep us updated

---------- Post added 22nd Dec 2016 at 06:41 PM ----------

Sorry for the double post, I went past my edit time limit! But the other "derm" product I was thinking of is Tegaderm. Search up some videos on it. You wrap your tattoo with it, but it still allows it to breathe and heal properly.

 

The aftercare is important. Keep it wrapped up for like the first day. Wash it a few times throughout the day and make sure it constantly has the lotion they give you on it. But not too much, you only want a thing layer of the special lotion. Keep it out of direct sunlight and don't scratch it.

 

It depends on the person.
Rule of thumb: If it's near a bone that you can feel by pressing on said area with a finger, chanses are It'll fucking hurt.

 

I have one very large tattoo covering my arm and shoulder.

It was done in two sessions of four hours each.

I quite liked it. Your natural endorphins kick in and the only time I wished it was over was on the collar bone.

I think I'm strange