What Is The Most Painful Place To Get A Tattoo?

Most of us know that getting a tattoo isn't as pleasant as spending the afternoon at the movies. After all, you've made a date with a needle for an extended period of time, so some discomfort is expected. But it can be hard to find out just how painful the soon-to-be-permanent fixture on your skin will be to get. Our pain tolerance is subjective, and it also matters where on your body you choose to get the ink. After some digging, here are a few of the most painful areas you could choose.

Sean Dowdell, cofounder of Club Tattoo, shares the most painful body part he's ever had done with The Healthy. "I'm fully sleeved," he says. "I have full back pieces... but for me it was the inside portion of my wrist, right where the flex point is." Dowdell can't be the only one sporting ink in this area. According to Medical News Today, the inner wrist is an area with a lot of nerve endings and arteries that run closely to the skin's surface. It's pretty understandable why even a man as experienced with getting tattoos as Dowdell would cringe while getting tatted on the inner wrist.

Dowdell goes on to tell The Healthy about the other most painful places to get a tattoo. "From my employees, tattoo artists, and clients, I think the stomach is a very painful place to get tattooed. And the back of the knee, from what I understand," he says.

Another expert shares a surprising reason for why this area is so painful

Fredrik Glimskär, founder and CEO of online tattoo marketplace Inkbay tells Cosmopolitan of another place that ranks high on the pain scale. He claims the ribcage is particularly painful because, "you don't have as much fat, muscle, or skin on your ribs, meaning you will feel the scratching of the needle a lot more," he says. Adding that, "the ribs move every time you breathe, which makes the tattooing process more painful."

As we previously stated, pain is subjective so it would be impossible to "needle" down the absolute most painful place to get a tattoo. But no matter where you choose to get your next permanent skin art, there are ways to help ease the pain. Dowdell recommends choosing a tattoo artist that is known for being gentle, considering having a smaller piece of work inked, and avoiding any place of your body that has previously been injured. Hopefully, your next visit to the tattoo parlor is as painless as possible.