No Pain .. no Gain?

Anyone with prominent tattoos will have been asked the question more than once, and however many times they have answered the question keeps coming. Does it hurt? The true answer to the question is that it does, but not all that much. It feels like being scratched a little bit, it feels a little bit hot, but it is not agony and in general is not enough to put most people off getting a second tattoo, should they want one. During the course of the average day there are a few of us who will go through more pain and think nothing of it.

If the pain is too much to bear, then this is for one of two reasons :

Firstly, it is possible that you could either be prone to pain when getting a tattoo or Secondly the tattooist is less than talented.

Image by stevendepolo via Flickr

Most tattooists, however, are more than talented enough to know how to minimise pain and suffering, and will also have the job done as quickly as possible so that the suffering ends quickly. If you do take a painkilling injection or treat the area with anaesthetic cream beforehand, there is a real danger of swelling the skin, which will make any resultant tattoo look bad anyway.

The fact is that if getting a tattoo is too painful, or the thought of the pain is too much to bear, then tattoos probably are not for you. It doesn’t make you a wimp or anything, it just suggests that you should find another way to adorn yourself. :-)