Resilience Under The Needle – How Bad Do Hand Tattoos Hurt?

Pain; that is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you are thinking of getting tattooed. Oftentimes, this is the determining factor for someone when they want to get tattooed. Most people opt out of getting one due to how painful it can be. Some areas are more sensitive than others due to various factors. The hand is one of the more painful regions of your body to get tattooed, but exactly how bad do hand tattoos hurt?

In terms of how much it will hurt, hand tattoos rank in the top 10 areas to get tattooed if not the top 5 regions to get tattooed. So let’s see exactly what makes hand tattoos hurt so bad and how you can plan ahead so you can decrease the pain level when getting a hand tattoo!

Key Takeaways

• The thickness of skin and fat, the amount of nerve ending, and the closeness to the bones are the main reasons that make hand tattoos hurt so much.
• Different parts of the hand will hurt differently due to the differences in skin and fat layer around the fingers when compared to the palm.
• When compared to the other parts of the body, hand tattoos are some of the more painful tattoos to get but there are still other parts of the body that will hurt more.
• Since your hands are so exposed, you need to carefully make your decision to get a tattoo as it takes many considerations to get one besides just the pain.
• Even though hand tattoos hurt a lot, there are many ways to ensure that the pain is a lot less!
• The hands have delicate skin so proper aftercare is important for hand tattoos is important to make sure it turns out good.

What Makes Hand Tattoos Hurt So Much?

When it comes to why hand tattoos hurt so much, there are some obvious reasons why it will hurt much more than other areas. The ink is placed in the dermis of the skin by penetrating the skin repeatedly with the needle. This creates small capillaries inside the skin where the ink is deposited and stays there for a long time. This is why tattoos in general hurt. Now put this into the context of the hand and you have a recipe for a lot of hurt!

So let’s see the two major reasons that make hand tattoos hurt so much!

Thin layer of skin and fat

The skin on your hand is significantly thinner than most other parts of your body. This means that the tattoo needles are able to penetrate deeper into the skin. Imagine getting penetrated over and over again, the thin layer of skin and fat available on the hand is what amplifies the pain even more than before.

If the thin layer of skin is not enough, you compound that with less availability of fat in your hands. While the palm has significantly more fat available, your fingers, knuckles, and back of the hand don’t. They have a thin layer of skin with little amount of fat so the tattoo needle will sink in further, causing your hand to hurt more when tattooed!

Nerve endings

I want you to touch something with your hand and then touch the same thing with your forearm. You notice that with your hands you are feeling more than just the object itself. You get a feel of the texture of the object way more clearly than you would with your forearm. The reason for this is that there are more nerve endings in your hands than in your forearm!

These hyper-sensitive nerve endings are what make hand tattoos so much more painful than most other parts of the body! Since you feel more with your hands, the tattoo needles are penetrating where the nerve endings are. This is what makes hand tattoos hurt so much! Constant getting pierced and your nerve endings pierced can make for a painful experience, especially when you have more details on your tattoo as well.

Closeness to the bones

If the skin layer and nerve endings are not enough, imagine how close the bones are to your hand! The bones have their own nerve endings as well and when it is rattled it can slowly start to get painful. You won’t feel the pain in your bones at first, but give enough time of getting a lining done or an area that requires a lot of shading and that will constantly vibrate bones. Eventually, the intensity of the vibration will be too much and cause a lot of pain in your hands!

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Pain Chart for Different Parts of Hand When Tattooed

I touched on it slightly, but different parts of the hand will have their own individual pain level. Some parts of the hands will have more protection from fat, while other parts of the hand will be closer to the bone causing more pain.

So let’s see how the pain level is for different parts of the hand.

1. Knuckles

The knuckles are probably the most painful part of the hand to get tattooed. The skin layer is very thin, there is relatively no fat available here, and the bones sit just underneath the skin! All of these combined makes for a painful experience.

2. Back of the hand

A little bit fat in this area but it is still boney enough to be very painful. The back of the hand is a popular place for a tattoo but if you want to get a tattoo here, then expect it to be quite a painful experience. Due to it having a larger surface, there is more possibility of getting a detailed tattoo done which will only increase the amount of pain.

3. Outer fingers

The outer fingers are very similar to the knuckles, with thin skin and bone right underneath. It will hurt a lot to get a tattoo here, especially when you move toward the end of the finger right before the nails themselves!

4. Sides and inner fingers

The sides of the fingers will hurt a bit less than the top of the fingers because you have a lot more fat in these areas. A tattoo here will be a bit milder but still more painful than other parts of the body. The inner fingers are the same, but the closer you get to the fingertips, the more painful it will be. This is because the fingertips have more concentrated nerve endings available and when you pierce it with a tattoo needle, you will receive sharp jabs of pain.

5. Palm

Probably the least painful part of the hand to get tattooed is the palms. There is considerably more fat layer between the bones so the pain will be a lot less but there are a lot of nerve endings here that will make the overall experience of getting tattooed painful.

Here is a table to see the pain level in the different areas of the hand, going from dull to severe pain.

Hand Tattoos Pain Level Compared with Other Areas

Hand tattoos rank pretty high on the pain level when you consider the whole body, but where does it rank against other parts of the body? To answer this, I have ranked the different parts of the body where you can tattoo and how much it will hurt to get it tattooed.

The armpits are the most painful place to get tattooed because it has all things that a hand tattoo has along with being the areas where the lymph nodes are as well! This makes it a very difficult place to tattoo as well. On this ranking list, hands are at 9^th but they can easily move above the spine especially if you are thin!

5 Considerations Before Getting a Hand Tattoo

There are many things that you need to consider before getting a hand tattoo, and it is not just limited to the pain level that you will be facing! So let’s look at how a hand tattoo might affect your life:

• Choosing the right tattoo artist: not every tattoo artist will be experienced in hand tattoos. They require a bit more skill because of how thin the skin is so make sure that you are choosing the right tattoo artist for the job.
• Work considerations: if you are to get a hand tattoo, then know that you might not be able to use your hands all that well. So take a few days to ensure that your hands will properly heal up before returning back to work. Most companies and jobs don’t allow exposed tattoos so you must make sure to talk to the HR department of your job to know if a hand tattoo is even possible or not.
• Covering and hiring: Then there is the fact that the hands are exposed. This makes it very difficult to cover it up and you can only go so far with having gloves in your workplace. If you are job hunting, hand tattoos might not be the best idea to have since most companies will reject you based on your tattoo.
• Design and detail: the more detailed the tattoo is, the more painful a hand tattoo will be. Make sure to talk to your tattoo artist about the size and detail of the tattoo and how much it will hurt to get it tattooed.
• Permanent: tattoos are meant to last a really long time, even on a place like the hands. It will take years before it fades on its own so make sure you are making the decision carefully because you will be stuck with the tattoo once it is on your hand.

Lessening the Pain of Hand Tattoos

Hand tattoos are very painful indeed, but that does not mean there is no way that you cannot lessen the pain. So here are ways that you ensure that you getting the tattoo is more of a pleasant experience than a painful one:

1. Taking breaks

It is okay to be exhausted while getting a tattoo and breaks are necessary to make sure you don’t end up fainting. If the pain is getting a little too unbearable, ask the tattoo artist if you want to take a break for about 5 to 10 minutes so you can drink some water and walk around. It will help to get the blood flowing in your body and a break from the pain will make sure that you will finish the tattoo session.

2. Staying sober

The last thing you want to do is come to the tattoo parlor drunk. The alcohol will not do you any favor as the blood vessels will be thinner and cause more bleeding to occur. With more bleeding, you will definitely experience more pain in the process! So as a rule of thumb, make sure you don’t have alcohol for over 24 hours before the tattoo appointment.

3. Hydration and food

Getting enough food in you is very important to help lessen the pain. Getting a tattoo on an empty stomach should only be for a stomach tattoo. For other parts of the body, being on a full stomach helps because you have enough energy to last you till the end of the tattoo session. Otherwise, you might end up fainting! Drinking enough water is also important since you will be bleeding a lot when you get the tattoo. So drink plenty of water the night before and bring a water bottle so you can drink during breaks.

4. Avoiding painkillers and blood-thinning medication

Painkillers might get rid of the pain but it will do you no favor when you are getting the tattoo itself! Most painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen can thin the blood causing you to bleed even more, and it will not do much for the pain that is about to come either. If you are on any sort of blood-thinning medication, make sure to talk to your tattoo artist because you cannot get a tattoo if you do. Be open and honest with your tattoo artist about it so that they know what they are getting into when tattooing your hand.

5. Numbing cream and numbing spray

If you don’t have much of a pain threshold, then you could always ask the tattoo artist to use a numbing cream or numbing spray to lessen the pain. While most tattoo artists aren’t the biggest fan of this because of how it will impact the tattooing process, it can considerably reduce the pain for a bit. So consult your tattoo artist about the possibility of using one so that you can the tattoo with less pain.

10 Aftercare Tips and What to Avoid for Hand Tattoos

If you think that once you get a hand tattoo everything is over, then you are wrong! The most crucial part of getting a hand tattoo (or any other tattoo) is the aftercare. This will determine how the tattoo will look for years to come.

So here are my aftercare tips for hand tattoos:

1. Keep your hands clean at all times.
2. Wash using warm water and antibacterial soap.
3. Keep touching objects with your hands to a minimum (especially if you have a palm tattoo).
4. Make sure to not sweat on the tattoo.
5. Moisturize the tattoo whenever it feels dry.
6. Avoid sunlight.
7. Avoid fragrance soaps and other products with fragrances.
8. No scratching or picking at the tattoo.
9. Stay hydrated.
10. Avoid alcohol and blood thinners.

FAQs

Do hand tattoos hurt more than arm tattoos?

Hand tattoos hurt more than arm tattoos because the arm has thicker skin. However, certain parts of the arm like the elbow will hurt way more than a hand tattoo because the skin is a lot thinner and the bones will an elbow tattoo hurt even more.

Does numbing cream work for hand tattoos?

Numbing cream will help to lessen the pain of hand tattoos. However, when it wears away expect to be in a lot of pain, especially if the effects wear off while you are getting tattooed! So make sure to talk to your tattoo artist about it to ensure your safety and the tattoo artist’s ability to tattoo you properly.

How long does a hand tattoo take?

It will be mainly dependent on the design but a hand tattoo can take anywhere from 5 to 6 hours to completely finish.

How much do hand tattoos cost?

On average, a hand tattoo would cost around $300 but it will dependent on the hourly rate of the tattoo artist and the design of the tattoo itself.

How long will it take for a hand tattoo to fade?

Most hand tattoos on the back of your hand will last a year or two. Finger and palm tattoos will fade faster due to the constant use and the amount of washing you might do. Palm tattoos will need regular touchups because the skin from the palm naturally gets removed faster than any other part of the body.

Final Thoughts

Hand tattoos hurt, a lot! There are many reasons why this is the case but it is mainly because the skin is so thin and bones are right there on the hand. The different regions of the hand will hurt differently but overall the hands will hurt a lot more than other regions of the body. Even if it is painful, there are ways to lessen the pain you feel while you are getting tattooed. And after you have the tattoo done, make sure you follow the right aftercare tips so that your hand tattoo turns out how you want it to look for years to come! There are many considerations to take for a hand tattoo so talk to your artist and come to a decision to go through with a hand tattoo.

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