tattoo nerves

[davexdurham]

so im getting a 4 hour sitting on my underarm on monday. I was wondering if anyone here has had it done. I know its going to hurt but I was wondering what the experience is like for someone with anxiety. Ive had my shoulder/outside of the arm done and that wasn't bad at all.

[KaoticKutie]

You will have to let me know.. I have one on my shoulder and outside arm too (the one in the photo of me.. with the flowers) and I have been wanting to add onto it to make a 1/4 sleeve, meaning I would have to have my underarm inked too.

I have 13 tattoos and the ones that hurt the most are the ones in more senisitve areas and where there is more bone. Underarms are more sensitive so I would imagine it would hurt more than the outside.

But if you are very happy with the design and the tattooist and excited about a new tattoo.. think about that. I try to think of the finished project while getting tattooed.. sometimes I have tried to read while being tattooed. I talk as less as I can so the artist can do his work and not mess up. lol.

Think positive . All tattoos hurt. People ask me .. Did that hurt? I say yes of course! But it is mind over matter and how you look at it. Think positive.

[mikewales]

Its all relative as people feel pain differently, but it is one of the easier areas to have done, so is certainly bearable even if you don't like pain much.

I've had two of the most painful parts of the body done, and while it wasn't pleasant, you just need to stick with it and get it done.

Saying that, I have a bit of a weird high pain threshold, so I dont even really feel the needle in some areas, and could sit there all day getting my arms done, only bit that is supposed to be more painful is the elbow, and the bony part on your wrist

[dabrucru]

I have john lennon imagine lyrics on the side of my torso, it hurt, but i concentrated on the outcome of the tattoo, those beautiful words, which i try to live everyday. To be honest i felt realy at peace geting tatoed.

[KaoticKutie]

The inside of my ankles hurt the most of mine. The back of my neck the least.. it actually felt good in some places.. but I am one of those weird people who have a high threshold to physical pain too.
Try to look forward to the outcome. For me my tattoos have meaning to me in some way and have been thought through. Try to look forward to that.. to the outcome. Think positive!! And take a pic so we can see! :)

[mikewales]

I tend to find on a longer session, you zone out after a bit anyway, and you don't really feel the needle, just a general ache, which isn't that unpleasant. It can get sore when one area is worked a lot, some of the stuff on my ribs and chest has 6 colours in it, faded into each other, so working over the same area was a bit uncomfortable.

Next one lined up is a full sleeve, which is going to be in a few 7 or 8 hour sittings :)

p.s. it also helps that the guy I go to is a really good laugh, so we have fun as well, which helps take your mind off it

[debbsi]

I just had one on my inner leg close to my ankle, only took a couple of hours and it hurt a bit but not much - i took some painkillers before i went cos i was a bit nervous, it work before a leg wax so thought id give it a go!
I think it worked, i also had a small one on my finger which took 2 mins and hurt much more than the leg! My DH had one done on his inner arm and said it didnt hurt at all.

My most recent one is a dandelion clock with seeds blowing away - the seeds to me represent the negative thoughts and i had a seed on my finger so everytime i have a thought i can look at my leg or finger and remind myself to 'let it go!!'

Make sure you post some pics x

[Gatsby]

It shouldn't hurt any more than the others you've had done, the area is a little more sensitive, but not hugely. As others have said, everyone deals with pain differently. The one on my wrist and inner arm tickled me, but a male friend was almost in tears when he had his wrist done. With lengthy sittings the feeling kind of becomes second nature.

[Forever1803]

Hi there, Ive had a few tattoos myself. I have one on the top of my right foot which took forty mins and the pain was excruciating but it will always hurt on thinner areas of skin. The one I had done on my thigh - took one hour and was completely tolerable.

I also have a full back piece that in total was 9 hours over 4 sessions and took ten months in total to complete! I have to admit, I really didn't cope well with it at all after about an hour. Before my third session on my back which was to be 2-3 hours, the tattooist suggested I use skin numbing cream.

Just go into the chemist, tell the pharmacist you are getting inked and want skin numbing cream. Buy enough to cover the entire area you are getting tattooed. I applied liberally. You should apply this cream one hour before your session and cover it in cling film. when you arrive at the studio, they will wipe it off and clean it and your skin will be all numbed up. You will still feel sensations on your skin but no pain. Don't drink alcohol the night before your tattoo.

If you really are unable to tolerate too much stress, I suggest you break your sessions down into manageable chunks like I did. If you use the cream, make sure you tell the tattooist that you have used it. My tattooist told me that none of his regular beefy huge guys get inked without it - lol!

Don't worry too much, just relax and enjoy your tattoo. But if you can, i really would advise to break down your sessions, yes it will take longer to get to the end result, but it is so worth it. and don't forget the cream from the chemist!

best of luck to you
Amanda xx

[Lilyblue]

I want a tattoo but I'll just feel sick with anxiety and I doubt diazepam would help nerves. I watched a friend get one done and I felt so sick. I want a song title or a ban name in bottom arm, but not on the wrist but well scared

[terror-x]

dude check this post i had a 2 hour sitting my the top of my thigh the only time it hurt was when he started the feather holy mother of pain i had to bite my finger but the rest of it was rather smooth if you have an ipad or a magazine that helps allthough it is your arm your having done. i posted a pic on the post aswell the aftermath looks good
http://nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=117262

[KaoticKutie]

You shouldn't take painkillers or drink alcohol as they thn your blood and can make your tattoo bleed more. This can make it difficult for the tattoo artist as blood will Get in the way a lot, he/ she will have to keep wiping it.. Which is annoying and time consuming. And you can have a tattoo that has a large scab... It may heal slower and I've heard thick scabs from tattoos can also make the tattoo faded a bit when the scab comes off.
Skin numbing cream? Hmmm never heard of it . But really isn't the pain part of the tattoo experience ?

[m.elise]

I want a tattoo but I'll just feel sick with anxiety and I doubt diazepam would help nerves. I watched a friend get one done and I felt so sick. I want a song title or a ban name in bottom arm, but not on the wrist but well scared


The thing to remember when you're getting a tattoo is that the pain/discomfort is only temporary, and the outcome is not, and that is the awesome part! I've never used diazepam, but if you're experienced with it I say go for it. You may want to mention it to your artist first, though to see what they recommend. Staying calm and having a friend with you to talk to or something to read/look at (if possible) is a good idea. Also having a bit of candy helps. :) I'm in the process of having artwork done for my third tatt. I'm pretty excited but slightly anxious as well. :)

[mikewales]

You really don't need to take any drugs or skin numbing stuff to have one done. A lot of tattooists now use skin numbing spray like Ink Eeze, which does take the edge off it, but can only be applied once the outline is done, and doesn't last that long.

Definitely don't take anything that thins the blood though, tattooists really don't like this, and as Kaotic said, it can effect how well the tattoo takes ( the blood can wash out a lot of the ink ) and how well it heals ( tattoos shouldn't scab over if done properly, and scabbing will pull some of the ink out if they get picked or scratched off )