Thinking about getting my very first tattoo, does it hurt much? (1 Viewer)

Lately i've been toying with the idea of getting my very first tattoo, now, i've never really been the tattoo type, but I really would like to get at least one.

I'm thinking of getting the new (from Superman Returns) Superman shield put on my upper left bicep, but am concerned about the amount of pain involved. I've heard conflicting reports from "doesn't hurt much" to "it made me naucious", I would like to try and form a concensus on this by reading some of your experiences with getting tattoos.

If the "didn't really hurt" outweighs the "made me cry" then I think i'll be okay. I really want this, though, I love Superman and I can't think of anything else that I would want to be permanantly inked onto my body.

Honestly it depends on your pain tolerance. When I got my tattoo done (oddly enough, a Superman shield on my shoulder) it hurt, but wasn't that bad (but definitely doesn't feel good at all). It's feels like someone scraping the same spot on your arm over and over again with a sharp object. But, I will get more work done on my arm, maybe this fall, I know what I want to do, I just have to draw the design around the shield.

Just make sure you have a good artist do the work. The shield isn't as easy to do as you might think (lot's of straight lines and curves) . The guy that did my tattoo did a great job with the design I made (I altered the s so it is less curvey, plus it's black and red.)

When I had mine done a few years ago(my First at age 55), there was some pain the first 5 minutes or so. Then it was just this "wish he was done with it" irritation pain !!

Make sure if you drink Beer or anything, that you refrain from doing so the day before ! The Blood seems to get a little thinner and you'll bleed like a "Stuck Pig" !!

It really depends on how long it lasts, how much shading, and where it is going. Mine was six hours and by about hour 4, I was clinching the chair with my fists until it was done. Usually, would have been a two session job, but I did not bleed - So he kept going at my request.

Shading and coloring needles are almost always multiple needle tools and just scrap along your skin. You have picked a relatively painless spot, so you should be OK.

At the place I go to, they have a sign that says "Hell yeah it hurts!"

Honestly, for me, it was quite painful, but the good thing is, once she was done with it, the pain basically went away. I guess it also depends on where you get it. The more 'fleshy' the area, the less it will hurt (or that's what I've heard). All of my tattoos are on my ankle/Lower leg...there's not a lot of 'meat' there and going over the shin bone was pretty rough (the vibrations through my leg were crazy!), but I still go back, so it's not really that bad.

I describe the pain equal to getting a shot (from the Dr.) - it's just that the shot lasts several hours

Actually, when I got my third tattoo, I was all gung ho until she started, once I felt the needle pain, I was like "Oh no! I totally forgot how much this hurt", but then I quickly got used to the pain and I was calmer.

I guess what I'm saying is, if the pain was really bad, I wouldn't have gone back and gotten more. And plus, it's really worth the pain.


Actually, it's funny, whenever people ask how bad the pain was, I always say (and this is the truth) that the WORSE part about getting a tatoo (on my ankle) was when the hair started growing back (because they had to shave my ankle before starting). Not being able to scratch my ankle was worse than any pain I felt during the procedure. Like I said, it all really depends on where you get it. You should be ok on your bicep because there should be enough padding there. And like I mentioned, if there is any pain, it's manageable.

Think about it; look at everyone who has a tattoo...it's no longer the "Biker/Hells Angel" thing anymore. Everyone from Bikers to House Moms are getting them. If it really were that bad, you wouldn't see so many peeople with them.

I think there should be some kind of requirement that anyone requesting a Superman logo to be tattooed on their bicep isn't allowed to ask about whether it will hurt or not. See if they have a nice Hello Kitty tattoo, instead.

Brad

What? Nothing about OAR? No Anne Hathaway? No Sledge Hammer?

The amount of pain also depends on how much outline or black fill. I've got a Micky Mouse (don't ask, it was an old girlfriend's idea - besides, I don't mind it) on my left deltoid and while the red and yellow was easy, all the black felt like an Xacto knife was being plunged into my shoulder. I do have a high tolerance for pain, so I didn't mind it, but for people who don't handle pain well, I pity you.

Same thought was going through my mind!

Oh so True !!!

The way my tattooist described it, the outline hurts more than the fill because the outline is a 'finer' needle. The fill is a larger (more spread out) needle and the pain gets distributed more.

I don't know if one is less painful than the other, but there definitely is a difference between the two.

As most people have said, your pain tolerance, and the location of the tattoo are key. My experience has been in line with DougR. It does hurt for a few minutes at first, then it turns to a kind of uncomfortable poking sensation. I also agree with Mark in that it seems that the fleshier areas seem to be less painful. The one I got on my shin was quite painful as opposed to the one I got on my stomach (so I need to do some sit-ups, so sue me).

Do not get a a tat on an empty stomach. I made that mistake once and got light headed half way through. I don't mean to gorge yourself, but at the very least have a candy bar or something before you go. I would also recommend you use the bathroom before you get it done, as most tat's will take at minimum 45 minutes. You may also want to take a bottle of juice or water with you. Don't drink so much that you need to pee, but it helps to keep yourself hydrated. If you start to feel light headed or just need a break, don't be afraid to ask. At the same time don't ask for breaks to often. As mentioned before the area of your tattoo starts to get numb after a while, but if you take a break it will hurt a little when you restart. Plus most artists don't get paid by the hour, so they want to get to their next appointment.

Above all else, follow the instructions they give you for caring for your tattoo.

tyler payne

If I could have figured out a way to get a tattoo about OAR and have people actually know what it means, I probably would have lol. As for Anne, getting the image of a person would probably involve a lot of different colors, it would also need to be relatively large I would imagine, thus it would probably be very painful. Plus, as much as I like Anne, I don't like her quite enough to get a tattoo of her. I actually did think very briefly about getting Sledge's 44 Magnum done, but opted out in favour of the Superman shield.

But I know you guys were just messin' with me anyway.

Okay, so I think I got it...

1. Eat something before going in.

2. Get it done in a fleshy area, like the bicep, because the pain will be lessened there.

3. Make sure I pee before the artist starts.

4. No drinking alchohol beforehand. This won't be a problem because I don't drink.

5. My tolerance for pain is pretty high, so that should be fine.

6. Have something to sip on occasionally while they work.

Plus, the tattoo won't be that big, the widest part of the shield, the top part, will only be about not even 3" across. I think i've avoided getting too many straight lines because the new shield is curved, not straight.

It'll alot less than if you get your tattoo behind your knee.

It really is not so bad. I have an arm band.

After they start it kind of goes numb a bit. For the most part I ignored it, every now and then they would hit a spot and I woudl grit my teeth.

Make sure you get one from a good shop. Talk to yuor artist, look at his work.

After it is done, it kind of feels like a sunburn while it heals.

Yep, Joe, I plan to browse his or her body of work before I allow them to start, I figure since this will be on my body forever, I have to make sure the artist knows what he or she is doing.

The last thing I want is for them to make a mistake on something like this.

Yes, definitely look at their work. The place I go to is really clean and very professional looking. The artists are all very good and talented. They are a bit expensive but you definitely don't want to cheap out when it comes to something as permanent as a tattoo

My place has a really funny sign. It shows a BAD tattoo and a GOOD tattoo...the text (below) says: "A cheap tattoo isn't good - A good tattoo isn't cheap"

REMEMBER:
you wont go to heaven if you get a tat......
HAHAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unless of course God is a Superman fan.

You never know...

God IS Superman.