How to Deal With Tattoo Pain

Body art doesn't come without a price. Getting a tattoo hurts. Depending on your pain tolerance, it may be a slight sensation or it may be exceedingly painful. However, many people consider the pain a part of the art. If you're considering getting a tattoo, here's how to deal with tattoo pain.

Instructions

1. Decide what part of the body you would like your tattoo. This will determine the level of pain. Getting tattoo over bone or over a portion of the body where the skin is tight hurts more.

2. Gauge the tattoo pain in the context of your life experience. If you're young and haven't experienced much pain, then the tattoo will probably hurt quite a lot. If you've experienced great physical pain, such as childbirth, the tattoo pain will pale in comparison.

3. Try relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and deliberately relaxing muscles. The tenser you are, the more the tattooing will hurt. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth and try to think of something else.

4. Watch for the endorphin rush. About 15 to 20 minutes into your tattoo, you'll notice it starts to hurt less or stops hurting completely. This is due to endorphins or your body's own natural pain killers.

5. Consider using topical anesthetics for cosmetic tattooing. However, if you're getting a tattoo as a piece of art, most tattoo artists won't use these.

6. Remember what the tattoo artist is doing. They are puncturing your dermis (second layer of skin) multiple times with a needle. By putting the ink deep into the skin, it becomes virtually permanent. This doesn't feel good.

Tips & Warnings

• Many aftercare products contain a synthetic adrenaline epinephrine. This could slow down the healing by reducing the blood flow to the area.

• Using a topical anesthetic could also cause you to lose some color in your tattoo.