Tattoo Pain: On Which Body Parts Do Tattoos Hurt The Most?

Are you looking to get your first tattoo or maybe another one? Not only the design itself needs to be well thought out, but also the tattoo artist who will be doing it, as many things can go wrong (but also very right!). Now that you know the tattoo of your dreams, the question is where to get it. For this, it can be very helpful for you - especially if it is your first tattoo - to know which parts of the body are particularly sensitive to pain. In this case, the tattoo could hurt a lot. 

Some parts of the body are particularly suitable for a first tattoo or a more elaborate tattoo, because they don't hurt at all: 

Where Do Tattoos Hurt the Least?

In principle, you can say that tattoos hurt less in places where there is more fat. You probably know this too when you bump yourself. If you hit a bone like the shinbone or the elbow joint directly, it hurts a lot. So what are the places that are well padded so that it doesn't hurt so much? First of all, there are: 

- Thigh (7)

- Buttocks (5)

- Forearm (4) -> except on the inside of the forearm, where the thinner skin is more sensitive to pain than on the outside and 

- The arm (3), here also the inside is more sensitive than the outside.

Then there are places that cannot be classified generally:

- Legs (6), some find it not painful at all, others find it very unpleasant

- Shoulders (2), the shoulder is of course a very large area: towards the top of the arm, it is bearable for many, whereas towards the chest and the back, it is still very painful for some people

- Neck and nape of the neck (1): this will surprise many people, but apart from around the larynx and directly on the vertebrae of the nape of the neck, the neck and nape of the neck are fairly insensitive to pain! 

And what are the places that are best left untouched? Especially for beginners?

Where Does it Hurt the Most? 

The parts of the body where you can directly notice that they have very little fat.

8. The Face: it looks painful, and it is. The pain is particularly hard to bear at the temples and around the eyes.

9. Chest: not only tattoos on the chest, but also on the breastbone can cause immense pain.

10. Armpit: this area is very sensitive, so that a needle can trigger extreme pain.

11. Back: Partially bearable, but very painful when it comes to the spine.

12. Hip: this area is unpleasant. The kidney area, in particular, can be very painful.

13. Calf: as with the inside of the arm and forearm, the back of the leg is also painful.

14. Joints: only the bravest can really stand it. The back of the arm and the knee are particularly painful.

15. Foot: the skin here is relatively thin and the bones are therefore very close to the skin. The pain is therefore pretty intense.

Pain Tips:

What happens when we feel (severe) pain? We tense up and breathe frantically, which causes our heart rate to increase. This signals to our brain that there is a reason to feel pain. We increase the intensity of the pain. It's a vicious cycle. So what can we do about it?

The Right Breathing Technique

Few people are able to lower their pulse immediately. That's why we should start with our breathing. If we can control our frantic breathing, we can calm our heartbeat and release the tension. This does not take away all the pain, but it can reduce the intensity. What about us? We can handle the experience better. Deep and slow breaths, my friend!