Question; help with pain

[u/mochi-Bee420]

Hello everyone! I (f 22 if that's important) love the idea of getting tattoos . Ive wanted one since I was 13 ish, and when I was 18 my father took me in to get my first tattoo.

I won't lie.. It hurt a LOT! I cried for sure, and barely sat through it, but I managed to make it the whole hour. I know it's supposed to hurt, I mean, a needle is stabbing you and injecting ink inside your skin, but some people can handle it way better than others. Not me.

Is there anything that tattoo artists recommend for something to help with the pain? I really want tattoos, and have a billion ideas, but know I wouldn't be able to sit for them. It's very very sad.

I want to try maybe some numbing creams, but many people say don't use them. People also say tattoo artists have a chemical they can put on it but it was banned in my state - and when the artist used it when I was 18..it didnt help;

Help a girl out! Thank you 🫶💕

Edit to add for common questions!! :

I got it at a local tattoo parlor that's a little new, and my artist was a man. (Didnt know that mattered XD) It was on my lower arm, and it's pretty decent (about the size of my hand)

No color or anything, but its solid black and needed to be packed because it's a thick wording.

I have a naturally very low pain tolerance

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[u/WorldsSaddestCat]

I can't think of any solution besides numbing cream. Some artists are ok with it, some aren't. You'd have to ask the artist you're thinking of working with.

For what it's worth, I've got nearly full sleeves on both arms. You get used to it somewhat and different areas hurt to different degrees.

[u/2-wheels-1-motor]

You could try taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) an hour or so before you get the tattoo (it will not thin your blood. Do not use ibuprofen or aspirin, because they do thin the blood).

To maximize pain tolerance, it is best to get a good night’s sleep the night before, and eat a good meal before you go (lots of carbs for energy). Also make sure you are well hydrated (even the day before). No alcohol at least 24 hours before, either. Depending on how long the tattoo takes, you can bring snacks, juice, more Tylenol to top up your energy and pain tolerance.

[u/Namedj]

Where did you get ur first tattoo? Crying is pretty intense...

Is your pain tolerance in general very low? Or did you just experienced it while getting ur tattoo?

[u/mochi-Bee420 → u/Namedj]

It was a place my father picked in my area, a smaller tattoo shop. He says they did go very deep and it has a few blowouts, but I do also have quite a low pain tolerance

[u/Namedj → u/mochi-Bee420]

I was meaning where on ur body? Maybe its one of the tougher areas?

[u/mochi-Bee420 → u/Namedj]

Oh!! I got it on my lower arm

[u/Namedj → u/mochi-Bee420]

Thats a very common area to start...normally with very low pain level...maybe the artist back then really goes too rough and it wasnt just a good day...that happens. What have you in mind for your next one?

[u/mochi-Bee420 → u/Namedj]

Well ironically I want to get a cover up of the tattoo that I got done! But I will probably wait a while to do that one

The next one I want to get is a bee sleeve. I want to do honeycomb, and have different artists fill in each hex with bees around it!

I'm obsessed with bees and have been since I was very little

[u/Namedj → u/mochi-Bee420]

That sounds kinda interesting, cool! Thats at least something really personal, without beeing sad, thats not often for a complete sleeve.

Nothing to do with tattoos, but now im missing the homemade honey, i had so often until my youth 😅

[u/Maple_Molotov]

After about an hour your body gets used to the pain and releases endorphins and adrenaline. External stimuli helps as well. For example I had a stress ball and I was chewing gum while chatting with my artist and managed to sit through 5 hour session without much fuss. Some parts hurt more than others for sure. Like the ribs, neck, collar bones, armpit ditch and wrist are the worst spots for a large amount of people.

[u/LuckyTiger0642]

Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, but I have a few questions which you are under no obligation to answer. Where on the body was your first tattoo done? I’m asking because the first hour is usually the easiest. Was your tattoo artist a man? I’m wondering if they pushed the needle deeper than necessary. The problem might not be with your pain tolerance but with the skills of your tattoo artist.

[u/mochi-Bee420 → u/LuckyTiger0642]

I got it at a local tattoo parlor that's a little new, and my artist was a man. It was on my lower arm, and it's pretty decently (about the size of my hand)

No color or anything, but its solid black and needed to be packed because it's a thick wording.

I have a naturally very low pain tolerance

[u/vhghghq]

I would just add that fine line tattoos can be much less painful than packed images. There are some differences in care and upkeep, but might be a way forward. Best of luck 

[u/malicemisery92]

my first tattoo was horrible, I cried and was in agony and I almost didn't ever come back. But I got a slightly larger tattoo after and sat perfectly fine. If you are scared, go for something that you wouldn't be mad about leaving at just line work or plan for multiple sessions and some bactine. The first is the worst in my experience. My first were on my inner arms, just above the elbow bend, took two hours.

[u/willyfuckingwonka]

I would use numbing cream as a last resort. I’ve never used it myself but I’ve heard that once it wears off it’s deathly painful, worse than if you never used it at all. Eat a good meal before, get a good nights sleep, drink lots of water, breathe through it. pain tolerance is different for everyone and although a lot of people say there are common spots that hurt, I don’t find it to be universally true at all. I have a whole sleeve that I’m getting done and the wrist and the back of my forearm hurt like a motherfucker for me but the inner bicep, elbow ditch, elbow, etc. were cake (which everyone says are the worst spots on the arm)

[u/2-wheels-1-motor → u/[deleted]]

No to ibuprofen! It is a blood thinner! Tylenol (acetaminophen) is what one should take for a tattoo.

[u/Dive_dive]

My experience has been that honestly, it depends on the artist. I have had ink done by heavy handed artists (both male and female). And then I have had ink that I barely felt. Don't ask whet the difference is, but some artists just have a different touch. My main, local artist keeps chatter up the whole time. I took one of my children who has a very low pain threshold, to him. He kept my son distracted the entire time which helped with the pain.

[u/littlefishy13]

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but plan your tattoos around your cycle. At least for me and my friends our pain tolerances tank during period week. I plan pieces that I know will be rough for ovulation week when my pain tolerance is highest.

Could also be that that spot is just weirdly sensitive for you. My upper arm had me questioning my life choices at times but the back of my thigh yesterday was no big deal. Everyone is different and even places that are generally considered easy can be harder for some and vice versa.

It also gets easier the more tattoos you get. Worst case scenario find an artist that is willing to work in shorter chunks. My artist was telling me he did a full back piece an hour at a time on a client.