Tattoos... they are painful and permanent and still, everyone seems to want one. I myself have two and plan to get at least three more. But, since I went and got one in a very painful place with absolutely no warning, I thought I would look up the most painful places to get a tattoo so I could avoid making the same mistake twice...
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Ouch and more ouch! Your spine is made up of 26 bones, 24 of them go from your neck to the base of your bum and each tattoo that you get along them will hurt. The spine is the most painful place to get a tattoo. I say just move a little to the left or right and just avoid all of the pain.
Photo Credit: Tracy Lee
This is where I got my second tattoo and that's probably the reason that I've waited so long to get this next one. The closer you are to touching any bone in your hip, the more pain you're going to be in. But if you think the end result is worth it then go for it!
Photo Credit: kirksheppardtattoos
Avoid your ankle bone at all costs! Everyone that I speak to that has a tattoo on their ankle told me to avoid that bone no matter what. Go around it, go on top of it or below it but never, ever get tattooed right on the bone of your ankle.
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Although this isn't the most fun place to get a tattoo as long as you avoid toes and the bones on top of your feet you'll be alright. Just make sure to go on the side of your foot near your heel or by your arch.
Photo Credit: Kirk Edward Nilsen II: Tattooer
Your elbow is basically skin and bone. There isn't really any cushion to keep that vibrating feeling of the needle away from your bone and so, I'm going to have to say unless you REALLY want your elbows tattooed, go for another spot.
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The knees, just like the elbows are all skin and bone with no cushion. If you want a leg tattoo that isn't going to hurt that badly go for the thigh where you have a little bit more fat and tissue and your bone is a little further from the surface.
Photo Credit: Brillville
The most easily broken bone in the body is also one of the most painful places to get a tattoo. The closer you get to the two bones on either side of your neck, the more pain you're likely to be in.
The rise in popularity of tattoos behind the ear doesn't have anything to do with how painful the spot is. The truth is that getting inked behind the ear is probably one of the places where getting a tattoo is going to be most agonizing. Luckily, you can only get small tattoos there so they won't take a ton of time to get done.
I love the way a small wrist tattoo looks, but since you don't have a whole lot of muscle or fat there, it can be quite uncomfortable to have a tattoo placed on your wrist. That includes both the top and the underside of your wrist, but again, there's not a ton of space for a tattoo there so it won't take hours to get inked.
I don't know anyone with a tattoo on their eyebrow, but tattoo artists call it a very painful place for ink. That's because the tattoo gun is going to be hitting your brow bone each time it penetrates the skin. It's going to hurt while it's happening and chances are you're going to be quite sore for a few days afterward too.
Speaking of the eye area, an eyelid tattoo is possible, but certainly not fun. The skin is very thin and you'll have to wear protection for your eyes. If this is your chosen spot for body art, make sure you seek out an artist with lots of experience tattooing the eyelid.
Whether you get a tattoo on your sternum or in the ribcage area, it's going to hurt. Again, it's because the tattoo gun will be coming so close to your bone, which doesn't feel good. Choosing an area that is a bit more fleshy can help make things a little better, but not pain-free.
You don't have a ton of cushiony padding in your neck area, so getting a tattoo there won't be comfortable. Added to that is the fact that you move your neck all day, every day, which means that healing time will be much longer than in some other areas of your body. This goes for the back and front of your neck.
Alright ladies, this is the list of the most painful places to get a tattoo. Just remember that the closer you get to bone with no fat, the more pain you'll be in. So go for a nice forearm or thigh! And remember a tattoo is pretty permanent unless you want to spend a fortune getting it removed so be sure of what you want and where you want it! Any comments or questions on tattoo pain or tattoo stories to share? Let me know down below!
Top Photo Credit: joganelken
This article written in collaboration with editor, Eliza Martinez