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Making The Final Decision

So you've found your tattooist from heaven, you've got the perfect design and you know exactly where you want the tattoo. Great. Now take a deep breath and consider the only question that anyone really wants the answer to when they decide to get a tattoo: Does it hurt?

Yep.

Not as much as you're probably expecting but, yes, it does hurt. You need to be aware of that before you go anywhere near a tattoo machine or it's going to be a nasty shock.

In general, the more natural padding between skin and bone, the less pain involved in the process of getting a tattoo. The most painful areas of the body are the abdomen (for a man), the spine, chest, ankle and ribcage. The least painful are usually the buttocks, arm, back, abdomen (for a woman), thigh and shoulder. That said, everyone's tolerance to pain is different because everyone's body is different. If you really want to minimise the pain, you might want to reconsider the placement of that tattoo running right down your spine. At least for the first one!

There will be blood too. The better the tattooist, the less blood but it's inevitable that you will bleed. That's why you need to be really careful about cleanliness and sterilisation. It might be boring but it could save your life or at least save you from a lot of unpleasant medical attention. Under normal circumstances the bleeding should stop naturally within a few minutes so don't worry too much.

One point of interest to regular blood donors is that you cannot continue to donate blood in many countries after you've had a tattoo. In the US you will need to wait a full year before you can start donating again. Talk to the medical professional where you donate just so that you're aware of the situation in your area.

Finally -- but very importantly -- don't get inked if you're high, drunk, pregnant or seriously ill. Any tattooist worth a damn will refuse to do the job if they think you're any of the above. When you're drunk or high your judgment is impaired and you're not fit to make a decision that will stay with you (literally) for the rest of your life. When you're sick or pregnant, your body is not able to protect itself from potential infection and your healing process will be slowed. If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right so wait it out and get a tattoo when you're better able to cope both physically and mentally.

Go to The Science Bit