Tattoos are always an attractive addition to the looks of your body. It gets more highlighted when done on certain parts of your body. They can be meaningful or just a choice of design you want. Going through the process of getting tattooed, you would already know the pain involved in it. One of the painful places to get a tattoo is your rib. This part of your body usually has less muscle, thin skin, nerves underneath, and bone movement which adds to your painful experience.

Rib tattoos are popular due to their placement and selected designs make them more attractive. Usually going with smaller designs makes it look more effective. If you think of getting one on your body, then you must consider how bad rib tattoos hurt. But how bad do rib tattoos hurt? Due to the boney structure in that area, there is a lot of nerve under the skin. The continuous insertion of needles is felt and heightened the pain while tattooing. The pain is more felt during any sort of movement like simple breathing makes the bones move under the skin. In this article, we will get to know more details about the pain a rib tattoo can cause.

Key Takeaways

Rib Tattoo Is Very Hurtful

Rib tattoo is very hurtful
Rib tattoo is very hurtful

On the pain scale, a rib tattoo hurts a lot. Even though tattoo pain varies in people but a major part of those who got their tattoo in the rib area experienced a lot of pain. Normally your skin feels the sharp needles and the intensity of it while inks get inserted. Compared to other skin areas this pain is a lot higher on the rib area. As the skin is thin when the needles penetrate, it is of high density on the nerves and can be felt on the bone.

The sensation while tattooing is felt throughout the body. You will feel the vibration on your whole body from the rattling of the needles. This does not mean that the pain isn’t tolerable but there’s a threshold for it. Some people have high tolerance levels while others have low. For the first timers, it is not recommended to get their first tattoo on their rib. This is because of no prior experience of getting tattooed before. The constant pain can also mentally drain especially when it rattles the bone.

Small tattoos or large ones, there are cases where people have unfinished tattoos on their ribcage as the pain became too unbearable for them. If you really want to get one on your rib cage you should be prepared to deal with the pain that comes along with it.

Being skinny or fat does not give any sort of advantage or disadvantage to getting a rib tattoo because the pain will still be felt. The pain is all related to the nerves in the rib area. The skin feels all the trauma of the needles along with the nerves and the burning sensation too.

After getting a tattoo on the ribcage area, the pain stays for a long time than usual when it is done in other parts of the body. Sometimes the pain can live up to 6 hours or more. This itself should be a caution for you before you get a tattoo on your rib.

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3 Pain Spots for Rib Tattoo

Pain spots for rib tattoo
Pain spots for rib tattoo

The rib area is one of the largest areas in the human body. Getting a tattoo in part of it is a painful experience. Still, there are some delicate spots in the area that can be divided into three parts:

  1. Side of rib – This part of the rib is one of the most popular spots to get a tattoo. The ribcage is mostly covered with cloth on top and tattoos here can be discreet. As sensitive as this area is, there are many nerve endings that are quite close to the surface. Skin is also thinner and the sides are pretty boney. The lower part of the side ribs is less painful than the upper part while getting tattooed.
  2. Front of rib – The ribcage bones are not much near to the skin in the front. As a result, there is less nerve ending here. Compared to any side of the rib, the pain felt in this part is more bearable than the rest. This area is preferable if you’re considering getting a rib tattoo.
  3. Sternum area – This is the upper middle part of the rib. It is the most painful area on the rib to get a tattoo. There are various experiences among people on getting a tattoo on the sternum. Skin is very thin here and also contains less fat resulting in people feeling like needles are scratching in a burned place.

Steps to Make Rib Tattoos Less Painful

Steps to make rib tattoos less painful
Steps to make rib tattoos less painful

It is inevitable that while getting a rib tattoo you have to endure a high level of pain. Both mental and physical preparation is required to make sure you can withhold the tattoo pain. There are several ways to make the process of getting tattooed on your rib less painful:

1. Small and simple design

It is very much recommendable to get a small and simple design due to the fact that you have to tolerate less pain. Small and simple designed tattoos itself are very much popular and trendy among people and if it is done in a delicate area like the rib part it will be more attractive. Rather than having a fancy design, a simple tattoo requires less complicated needles to inject ink into the skin of your rib area. Consult with your tattoo artist to choose which part will be better for getting a tattoo. You can also choose line drawings, script, or pointillism as your simple design.

2. Choose an experienced and gentle tattoo artist

Take your time and research tattoo artists. Any artist can get you a tattoo but since the rib area is a very sensitive part of your body it is better to get a gentle one. You also have to look into the matter that the artist should not be heavy-handed. This can cause the artist to work with more pressure and intensity something you wouldn’t want.

Also, an experienced tattoo artist will take his time and do your tattoo smoothly with almost no overwork in the area. An expert artist will take intervals during tattooing to ease your pain. In addition to it, you’ll get proper advice on what design you can do in which area of your rid.

3. Tattoo numbing cream or spray

If you have any doubt that you’ll not be able to withstand the pain while tattooing on your rib then you can use a numbing cream or spray. Using numbing products will ease your pain by restricting your blood vessels to flow in the applied area.

Before using a numbing product, you must consult with your tattoo artist as some of them don’t like to work on the skin if it is applied. You will get proper guidance on what to do and how to manage it. Also, instructions are provided with the product on how to use it so that you are well-prepared before your tattooing session.

Healing of Rib Tattoos: Aftercare Tips

Rib tattoos are usually closer to your heart and are usually covered so that there is no external cause to irritate the healing process. With proper aftercare, the tattoo area will naturally heal quickly. You also need to wait up for the pain to ease once tattooing is done because it sometimes takes up to hours to ease down.

You should follow the advice of your tattoo artist if you want to heal faster. They will prescribe you some steps to make sure that there is no problem afterward. Your tattoo is most likely to advise you on the following steps for better healing:

FAQs

How long does a rib tattoo take to stop hurting?

The healing process varies from person to person. If the healing is done properly, it will take around two to three weeks to recover. The size of the rib tattoo also matters for the time to heal.

Will rib tattoos stretch?

The skin on the rib area is thin and stretchy which also affects the tattoo. The tattoo also moves with any type of movement you do like as simple as breathing.

Can I wear a bra after my rib tattoo?

For women, if you are wearing a bra you have to make sure it is not touching your rib tattoo. Do not do any harsh workouts wearing one will cause irritation for a couple of weeks.

How do you sleep with a new rib tattoo?

After getting a rib tattoo you should avoid to not sleep directly on the area for the first four days. No sort of pressure to be given on the tattooed area. Let the tattoo get fresh air and oxygen.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the process of getting a rib tattoo does hurt more than any other usual place. The rib area is comparatively large to other body parts and has thin skin. As the rib cage bones are closer to the skin there are various nerve endings beneath the skin. Usually, the lower parts hurt less in the rib while tattooing compared to the upper part. You can take some precautions following your tattooing session so that you feel less pain during the process. In the aftermath, follow the instruction given by your tattoo artist to let the healing be quicker.

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