Yes, we know, pain is subjective – but your body isn’t.
Your body has certain areas which are more susceptible to pain than others, and there’s a consensus about which parts are more painful to tattoo.
If you’re the squeamish type and you want to get a tattoo, then maybe you should avoid areas like…
The wrist
Probably the most painful area if you ask enough people. The skin is very close to the bone, and there is very little to no fat or muscle there to provide a cushion. Add to that it’s a sensitive area to begin with, with lots of nerve endings, and you have the perfect ingredients for a painful tattoo!
The ribcage
Again, like the wrist, the ribcage doesn’t have much muscle or fat to protect it, so people tend to feel the needle a lot more here. There’s also a physiological effect going on; your ribcage protects all your vital organs, and so is naturally sensitive. Think about being tickled – it’s a feeling like no other, and it’s because your body wants you to protect that area more than anywhere else.
The head
Your head is basically just your skull with a bit of skin stretched over it, so if you’re getting a tattoo there, you can expect it to hurt. The reason the head is so painful is because it’s nerve central. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves that connect the brain with the head, neck and body. Your eyes, ears, nose, and taste buds all rely on this collection of nerves to transmit sensory details about what you're smelling, tasting, hearing, and seeing. If you’re being repeatedly stabbed by a small needle, then they’re obviously going to go into overdrive!
When it comes to tattoos, how much it hurts, and which area hurts the most is all dependent on the person receiving the tattoo. So if you got a tattoo on your wrist and it didn’t hurt, don’t bother contacting us to put us right! Pain is subjective!
