Everyone knows who has ever gotten a tattoo, that no matter where you get your tattoo done it is going to be painful. But did you know that there are certain parts of the body where a tattoo is even more painful than usual? When you stop to consider it, the fact that there are places that anyone would consider to be the most painful tattoo body parts shouldn’t really be a surprise.
Our bodies are made up of nerve endings, and so one of the reasons that some places are more uncomfortable than others is because we have more nerve endings there. Another reason that we have certain body parts that are more painful for getting a tattoo is because the skin is so close to the bone. When you get a tattoo in a place like this, the vibration of the tattoo gun against the bone can be really painful. So let’s take a look at the top ten places you may want to really think about whether you want a tattoo on that body part or not. Because if you do – man it is gonna hurt!
Tattoos Close to the Bone
Ankle Tattoos – These can really hurt for actually two reasons. One is that there are plenty of bones pretty close to the surface, so that ink gun on bone problem will come up here. The other problem is that this is a hard place to find a smooth even surface so the shape of the area may make for some harder to reach, and therefore possibly painful, tattooing.
Hip Tattoos – You don’t see a lot of these, but those hip bones are pretty close to the surface so a tattoo here can be pretty painful. Sometimes it pays to move a hip tattoo a little over to an area that has more cushion!
Lower Back Tattoos – Yes, these are really popular right now but that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt! If you can keep it floating just above the tail bone, it won’t be quite as bad. Still, a tramp stamp on the lower back can look pretty cool with a summer crop top, so it isn’t surprising that plenty of women love ‘em!
Rib Cage Tattoos – These are the ones that can really hurt because the ribs are right there and they are pretty delicate compared to a hip or ankle bone. Care should be taken with any tattoo that is on the rib cage and be prepared to endure more pain than usual. Of course, if you have plenty of padding in this area, it may not be a problem!
Tattoos That Hit a Nerve
Back of the Neck Tattoos- Maybe gangs get tattoos here to show how tough they are! This is an area that has tons of nerve endings to protect our necks from damage where the spine enters the skull. Not much you can do to cut down on the pain, so make sure you really want it there!
Wrist Tattoos– Yes it looks pretty to have a little butterfly here but the skin is very delicate and sensitive here. Heck that is the reason a kiss here can give a shiver of pleasure, it is supposed to be sensitive! But it also means that getting a tattoo here is gonna hurt!
Foot and Toe Tattoos- You would think that the foot would be one tough place when it comes to pain, but there are lots of very tiny bones in a foot or a toe, so more bones to be near the surface and lots of nerve endings to protect them from damage. So if you really want that tattoo on your foot or toe, be prepared!
Face Tattoos- There is a good reason many place won’t tattoo on your face – it really hurts! It also is so up front that you have to want this more than most tattoos. But the face is made up of a network of really fine nerves and there is really nowhere on the face a tattoo won’t hurt far more than on an arm or leg.
Neck Tattoos- This is more about the side of the neck, but anywhere on the neck is not only painful but can be dangerous. This is because there are some very important main arteries and veins here, and they are close to the surface on the neck. So a tattoo gun could accidentally go somewhere that is very dangerous for you. Make sure your tattoo artist has done this area before if you are getting a neck tattoo.
As you can see, all of these tattoos are areas that people do get tattooed but it can be really painful. I am not saying don’t do it – just be aware of what you are walking into here. But there are some really great tattoos that have been done in all these areas, so for many it is just a case of “No Pain – No Gain”!
Man, I have to admit I laughed my socks off on this one. Kristen Bell recently did a video for FunnyOrDie and in it she lets us all in on a secret to what she and other tattoo celebrities go through for every shoot because of her 214 tattoo designs. The spoof is so right-on, complete with the whole Hollywood Tonight setup and camera shots.
Of course, if you have 214 great tattoo designs, it can take a bit of time to cover them over.So it is off to the makeup gal for 14 hours of covering up. The explanations of why she has the tattoos are priceless, and there was just enough wink-wink, nudge-nudge quality to the various tattoos that you just know instantly who she is referring to!
All in all – a fine bit of acting. Along with some of the best gentle teasing to the tattoo crow I have seen in a long while. Our hats are off to a gal with lots of class; and a great sense of humor. You have to see this one to believe it.
They may not be the best tattoo designs, but they sure are sweet! I feel like I should be standing on a red carpet with microphone in hand instead of clanking on this keyboard. These two are just about the absolute cutest Hollywood couple – and guess what? They have a set of matching tattoos to celebrate surviving their calamity-prone honeymoon. I guess they just were feeling sentimental about them, because here it is two years later and Channing is still telling the story.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan revealed that back in 2009 the couple had gotten matching tattoos that read as “side by side” in the native language. It was while the pair was having their too brief “mini-moon” back in 2009 that they both came down with food poisoning, one after the other. The best tattoo designs were chosen and it was decided on a few days after they recovered. Dewan’s tattoo is on her foot and Channing shows off his when displaying his ribcage for all to admire.
Almost every actor, actress, singer or other type of celebrity is getting a tattoo or three these days. That in itself is not exactly the kind of news that will stop the presses anymore. Gone are the days when a picture of someone romping on a beach and accidentally showing off their latest tattoo was the kind of thing to get you into trouble. In fact, it has gotten so routine that studios regularly have it written into contracts where the tattoos can be, and actors have it written into contracts that as long as they can disguise or hide them, all is cool. After all, that is what makeup and CGI is for these days.
But the other night, actress Vanessa Hudgens got into a bit of a pickle on the Tonight Show. The funny thing is it wasn’t as much for a tattoo she had as for a tattoo she didn’t actually have. Because the tabloids were busy showing off Vanessa having a fun time on a beach with her new tattoo, and when Jay Leno quizzed her about it, she admitted it was a fake.
You could have heard a pin drop when she said it. I guess having a fake tattoo these days is just as bad as having a real one in the old days. Personally, I thought she was kinda cute and giggly in explaining how she loves to write all over her body and that this phrase on her foot “All You Need Is Love” from the Beatles song, was just that. She had written it in pen on her foot for fun and then went out on the beach.
But heck – you have to see it for yourself to get the full feel of the faux-pas that almost wasn’t. Check it out here:
And the next time you feel like grabbing that sharpie and writing some favorite song lyric on your body just for fun – tell them Vanessa said it was okay to do! Talk about instant Karma- have an instant tattoo!
We have all at some time or another lost someone, and it can be a blow. It is even harder if the person we lost is gone quickly and unexpectedly, so that we feel there was no way to really connect and have closure with them. What better way to remember a loved one then to have a tattoo made in their honor, right? We have all seen the R.I.P. tattoos that are done to commemorate someone who has died. But what if you could do more than simply have the tattoo designed and done? What if you could incorporate a part of them into the tattoo? These days you can.
A Memorial Ink on Skin
These days you can do more for that memorial tattoo, you can actually have the ashes of the loved one made up as part of the ink that you will use for the tattoo. Sound gruesome? Not to many of the people who have had it done. To them, it is a fitting tribute to someone who they miss greatly and is gone forever. And it isn’t just the girlfriend’s name, it can be much more complex a design then that.
One tattoo wearer told of how he did the tattoo in memorial of his mother – of adding in her ashes to the ink that would make a tattoo of the mountains near her home and the music that she loved. Another man had his mother’s handwriting as part of the tattoo, again one that had some her ashes mixed with the ink.
It takes a certain kind of person to make this decision. Not everyone wants to have the ashes of a loved one, no matter how much they meant to you, embedded in their skin forever. But for those who made the decision, they talk about a spiritual experience when they had it done. It is a ritual in memoriam of someone that will always be close to them now.
The Health Risks
Of course, there are those who say that adding ashes, no matter how small an amount, is a health risk. They have a point. Anytime you add any kind of foreign item into your body you are taking a risk of rejection and even a severe allergic reaction. But then again, this is true of even an ordinary tattoo. But some doctors warn that adding the risk of rejection because of something as foreign as the ashes of another body, let alone whatever contaminants are in the ashes, could be very threatening to someone’s health.
So I suppose that in the end, the risk taking and the decision to memorialize someone by injecting a small part of them into a work of art on your body is something only the individual can decide. But then again, tattoo fans have been taking risks and walking outside the lines for a long time. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the risks are the least of most memorial tattoo wearers concerns.
You may have seen the tattoo that Lil Wayne sports when he is clubbing with his boys. Khloe Kardashian, that setter of all things trendy, has one. Even Lindsey Lohan has one – they all have glow in the dark tattoos. So just what exactly are these new trendy tattoos?
Well, glow in the dark tattoos are actually two very different kinds of tattoos, depending on what the main material is that they are made from, besides the ink. They can be a phosphorus-based ink that is basically invisible during the day, making them the perfect type of tattoo for professionals who don’t want their tattoos to show up during the day. But at night, they glow with their own fiery light. The other kind of glow in the dark tattoo is a UV tattoo, called this because of the Ultraviolt light that is needed to see the tattoo. Although these are both true glow in the dark tattoos, there are differences between the two that are important to know if you are considering getting one.
Glow in the Dark Phosphorus Tattoos
An ordinary tattoo is usually a metal-based pigment suspended in either a vegetable or plastic medium. This is what gives them their distinctive look, and the colors in tattoos are achieved the same way. However, for a glow in the dark tattoo that is completely invisible during the day and only shows up at night, a different medium is used. For a tattoo that will simply glow without the help of black lights, phosphorus is added. The addition of the phosphorus ink can be either for the entire tattoo, or it can be added as a special effect in a current regular tattoo.
But the thing that anyone getting a glow in the dark phosphorus tattoo needs to stay aware of is that phosphorus is a known carcinogen and has some safety concerns attached to it. There is no known phosphorus solution that the FDA has yet approved as safe. Because the side effects of phosphorus when it comes in contact with skin are severe blistering, severe pain and rashes, some tattoo parlors will not even consider working with them.
UV Glow in the Dark Tattoos
The other alternative if you want a glow in the dark tattoo is to use UV inks, some of which are even approved for use by the FDA as safe to use. These tattoos will only show up when exposed to UV light or what is commonly called “black light”, making them perfect for clubbing. Because a wide range of items glow under UV light, including club soda, vitamins A and B and even white cloth, it is easier to find a safe material to make these inks. In fact, there are glow in the dark UV tattoos with colors such as blue and red as well as the usual glowing white.
So you see, when you ask just what are glow in the dark tattoos, the answer is a little more complicated then you would think. The basic idea is pretty cool, that you have a tattoo that is completely invisible until night. Most of the glow in the dark tattoos I have seen take advantage of the “spooky” nature of them and have a goth skeleton theme to them. You have to admit – having a glowing skeleton on your arm that only shows up at night or when you are under a black light can be pretty awesome looking!