18 most painful places for a tattoo on the body

Tattoos are one of the most popular types of body art around the world. If you're getting your first tattoo, or thinking about getting it on different parts of your body, the weakling inside of you will naturally wonder, "Which the most painful places for a tattoo? This article will demystify this area of ​​your concern so that you mentally prepare for your next tattoo session.

A tattoo on most parts of the body will hurt at least a little. While no tattoo is completely painless, men tend to deal with pain differently than their female counterparts. Moreover, even within our biological sex, some of us will experience more pain than others. The degree of discomfort also depends on our pain threshold as well as where the tattoo is placed. You will feel different levels of pain in different parts of the body, some of which can be excruciating and possibly unbearable for many.  

Based on their level of tolerance, each tattooed person has something different to say about the level of pain they felt. However, based on anecdotal evidence from popular industry websites, the consensus is that certain areas of the body are more sensitive than others when tattooed. 

The pain chart below, followed by the list we've compiled, sheds some light on the worst places to get a tattoo.

Tattoo Pain Table 

As mentioned earlier, areas of thin skin with dense nerve endings over bony areas are most prone to excruciating pain when tattooed. This tattoo pain chart shows exactly where on your body, whether you're male or female, you're experiencing relatively more pain. The scale from least to most pain should help you choose the best spot for your next tattoo.

18 most painful places to get a tattoo

Most likely, you have landed on this page because you are afraid of the pain of a tattoo. Now you can be sure that your curiosity about the most painful places for a tattoo will end here. While some level of pain is inevitable with any tattoo and its specific location, knowing where it can cause the most pain will help you choose a good spot and greatly reduce potential pain.

1. Ribs.

Many consider the ribs to be the most painful place to get a tattoo, as the skin over the ribs is very thin and contains minimal fat. Moreover, the chest is constantly moving at the same rate as the speed of your breathing, which causes a lot of pain during a tattoo session.  

2. neck

People with low pain tolerance should refrain from getting tattoos in the neck area. Large nerves run down and along the sides of the neck. These nerves are very sensitive to the pain caused by the injection process. The cervical nerve is also found in the neck. Therefore, the pain may increase if it eventually spreads down the spine and shoulder from these nerves. 

3. Armpit

The armpit is a strange place to get a tattoo and artists wouldn't recommend it at all. Many consider this area of ​​the body to be the most painful to get tattooed because the underarm skin is very soft and extremely sensitive. The axillary nerve and glands are located in the armpits, which is another reason why it can be very painful if you get a tattoo there. 

4. Nipples

The breasts and nipples are among the most sensitive places. Getting a tattoo in these areas can be quite painful. However, this has not stopped enthusiasts from ignoring these popular destinations.

5. Inner thigh

It will be a surprise to hear. The inner thigh is one of the worst places to ink if you can't stand the pain. It's a shock because it's a fleshy area with enough muscle and fat. The flesh here, however, is soft and rather sensitive. In addition, this area is prone to excessive rubbing against clothing and the other thigh, resulting in a longer healing time. 

6. Back of the knee

The back of the knee is another place where the skin is loose and elastic. During the tattoo there, you can experience unbearable pain. There are many nerve endings that are stimulated by a tattoo needle. 

7. Ear

The ears do not carry a large buffer for a tattoo needle. There are many nerve endings on the ears, which during a tattoo session are prone to a strong bite, which can cause incredible pain. The lack of ear fat means the needle doesn't have enough cushioning for you to endure the pain. 

8. Lip

The lips are rather dense on the anterior side of the nerves. So you can imagine how excruciatingly painful getting a tattoo is for most people. At best, you should only prefer a small, simple tattoo. The tattoo wound of the lip is atypical. Bleeding and swelling usually occur during or after ink application. 

9. Inner biceps

The inner area of ​​the biceps has soft skin with high elasticity. Pain during tattooing is usually not severe, but nevertheless high. The level of pain is reduced by the muscles inside the biceps. The tighter your inner bicep muscle, the less pain. The healing time of a tattoo is relatively longer here. Overall, this is a popular tattoo spot for both genders.

10. Head and face

The head is another extremely painful place to get a tattoo. Here the level of pain is intense due to the fact that there is very little muscle and skin to minimize the painful impact of the needle. The exact intensity of pain depends largely on the size and type of construction and the specific location on the head or face. 

Also, the fact that the tattoo machine vibrates on your head makes the process more difficult psychologically. You hear the process so close to your ears that it intensifies the pain and even causes a prolonged headache. 

11. Stomach.

If you know your belly, you will agree that the skin there is quite elastic. The incredible elasticity of your belly skin means that getting a tattoo can be very painful. The exact level of pain also depends on your fitness level. If you have a low percentage of body fat, you will have a flatter stomach, which means that there will be less pain during the tattoo. 

12. Hips

The popularity of tattoos on the hips is associated with the desire of women to look good, especially in summer. For women, there is nothing sexier than a tattoo along the thigh. A thigh tattoo is painful because the skin and bone are too close. Those with a lean physique will feel more pain due to less fat around the thigh to cushion the pelvic bones. 

13. Hands

Hands are a very popular place for tattoos. Whether inside or outside of your arms, a tattoo session will not be without intense pain. The culprit, again, is the numerous nerve endings and extremely thin skin that cause intense pain when hit by a tattoo machine needle.  

14. Fingers

As with the legs and arms, when a thin tattoo needle punctures the nerves in your fingers, they are bound to undergo painful spasms. Thus, the tattoo will be accompanied by measurable discomfort. However, fingers remain a popular location for tattoos.

15. Genitals

The genitals are a place with a large number of nerve endings. It's not rocket science that getting tattoos on your private parts like your penis or scrotum would be no less torturous. It is wise to refrain from choosing the genitals as the location for your first tattoo, or at all. In addition to pain, another reason for abstinence has to do with the healing process, which requires keeping the area dry and bacteria-free for the first two important weeks.  

16. football

Legs, especially their upper part, are one of the most painful places to get a tattoo. A large number of nerves located here causes sensitivity, which leads to severe pain when applying a tattoo. Let's not forget how thin the skin is there. Tattoo needles cause a lot of bone vibration, which is not the most pleasant feeling by any standards.

17. Elbow

The elbow has very thin skin over pure bone. The level of pain can be on par with a rib tattoo as the elbow also has sensitive nerve endings. These nerves can additionally cause pain in the arm, depending on the amount of work the needle goes through. There is no fat in the elbow area to soften the injection process. As a result, the vibration traumatizes the bone with great discomfort. If you want to give your elbow an aesthetic appeal, it's best to keep the tattoo small and simple if you have a low pain threshold. 

18. knee

A tattoo anywhere around the circumference of the knee is bound to be extremely painful. Similar to the feeling during an elbow tattoo session, the front of the knee is similar due to the thin skin over the protruding bone. Besides excruciating pain, knee tattoos are also associated with a longer healing period. 

Conclusion

No tattoo is completely painless. There will always be some pain, sometimes a high degree, unless you plan to refrain from getting a tattoo in your favorite spot. As you can see from the list above, certain areas can be avoided in order to experience less pain. The advice to take away from all of this is to avoid tattooing over bone, thin skin, and dense nerve endings. In these situations, and this is good news, the pain can be minimized by applying one of the best tattoo pain relief creams.   

However, there are quite a few blemishes on your body that won't hurt as much if inked. The least painful places for a tattoo are also best suited for large and prominent designs. These areas include the forearm, upper outer thigh, outer biceps, outer upper arm, calves, and entire back.