Hello everyone! I made a thread the other day about getting an eagle tattoo on my back, and I’m sure most of you probably either posted in it or acknowledged it somewhat. I decided on the actual design that I’m set on, unless obviously in a year I find something better. However, I kinda doubt I will since I really, really love this design. I still have a year though, like stated, so who knows. Anyway….
I know it depends on pain tolerance of the individual and all that, but normally, and to some of you who have back tattoos, how bad is the pain really? Is it bearable, unpleasant, or teeth gritting? Just a little nervous I guess, and want to really ask as many questions as possible before I have this done so I know exactly what to expect and know I make the right decision. Thanks, guys.
PS: The only thing I’m getting is the eagle, not the banner or text.
As I am getting my backpiece outlined tonight (full back) I will be able to give you a personal experience answer 😀
I will post up how it feels.
Take Care
Matthew
Wow man, good luck with that! Hope all goes well and you really love what it turns out to be. Make sure you let me know how the upper back feels. I’ll be checking this thread regularly. 😀
Hi
Just got back from first 3 hour session of outlining.
I have around another 2 hours to go as still a 1/4 to add (the tiger)
Pain wise – it was pretty painful to be honest.
It was around 5 on the upper back (bearable with odd bit of teeth gritting) and around a 6 on the kidney area at the base of the spine.
I was not chuckling over that.
There is small details on the basic outline that need touching up but these will be corrections on the go.
Only 27 hours or so left to go! :p
Next sitting in 2 weeks gonna add to the tiger and bottom half of the waterfall and get the scales on.
Will post up pics when it has healed a bit.
Take Care
Matthew
Hi
Just got back from first 3 hour session of outlining.
I have around another 2 hours to go as still a 1/4 to add (the tiger)
Pain wise – it was pretty painful to be honest.
It was around 5 on the upper back (bearable with odd bit of teeth gritting) and around a 6 on the kidney area at the base of the spine.
I was not chuckling over that.
There is small details on the basic outline that need touching up but these will be corrections on the go.
Only 27 hours or so left to go! :p
Next sitting in 2 weeks gonna add to the tiger and bottom half of the waterfall and get the scales on.
Will post up pics when it has healed a bit.
Take Care
Matthew
i would say not super bad, but im sure it was pretty bad for Sherav being that long
my cross took an hour and a half (urs will be much more than that) but it didnt hurt too bad
what ive always noticed about tattoos is it hurts at first, then goes numb aftera while… then the numbness wears off and it hurts more than it did in the beginning
its def not unbearable but the top of the back is definaetly less painful than when you get lower, as sherav referred to, the kidney area
on the scale of 1 to 10 i would say 4 or 4.5
but i also said 7 when i broke my arm when i was 14 years old
and now i have hurniated discs in my back and i described that to the doc as 6… so idk how ur scale measures up but theres a reference point
my cross took an hour and a half (urs will be much more than that) but it didnt hurt too bad
what ive always noticed about tattoos is it hurts at first, then goes numb aftera while… then the numbness wears off and it hurts more than it did in the beginning
its def not unbearable but the top of the back is definaetly less painful than when you get lower, as sherav referred to, the kidney area
on the scale of 1 to 10 i would say 4 or 4.5
but i also said 7 when i broke my arm when i was 14 years old
and now i have hurniated discs in my back and i described that to the doc as 6… so idk how ur scale measures up but theres a reference point
Ya, since it’s all upper back I’m not too worried about the kidney thank god. I’m really sensitive around there (like everyone else). When I broke my humerus in half though, I only rated the pain as an 8 so I guess my pain tolerance is somewhat high. Plus this is something that I really want, so I’m sure I’ll be able to tough it out more.
Figuring out how a tattoo may feel in a certain area is really quite simple. It’s comparable to being scratched by a cat. I don’t mean a Tiger, but just a scratch from cat claws. Unless you’ve led a completely sheltered life you’ve probably experienced an abrasion or two just about everywhere on your body. Tattoos feel just like another scratch. Some places burn, some hurt, some aren’t bad at all. How much fat doesn’t make any difference, it feels similar to everyone.
When it comes to pain management, your worst enemy is your own mind. If you’re one of those types of ciients who can’t stop thinking about the pain or the hurt you may feel, then you’ll probably have plenty of it because you just psyched yourself out so much that you’ve become ultra sensitive to pain because you’re expecting it. When that happens they get so psyched up for pain they literally jump out of the chair if my hand touches them as I’m preparing to work on them. They hear the buzzing, then my hand, not the needle just touches them. They’re convinced they felt pain.
Best thing to do is be 100% sober, so your mind has more ability to concentrate on the right things, and your brain wil produce the right amounts of adrenaline and dopamines which will dull most of your pain for the first 2 or 3 hours. Try to just relax and focus on something visual is possible, a TV if available, or have a conversation “With your mouth! Not your entire bodY!” I have some clients who can’t seem to talk without moving their entire bodies, especially their hands or heads.
Don’t focus on the tattoo so much and especially don’t ask for constant progress reports, that ruins the concentration of the artist. For example, “How much time left? What are you doing now? Can you do this really really fast?” Most of us will keep you well informed as we go along for your own comfort.
And remember, no matter how much it hurts, at least it’s not as bad as marriage! And your tattoo can never cheat on you or divorce you!
When it comes to pain management, your worst enemy is your own mind. If you’re one of those types of ciients who can’t stop thinking about the pain or the hurt you may feel, then you’ll probably have plenty of it because you just psyched yourself out so much that you’ve become ultra sensitive to pain because you’re expecting it. When that happens they get so psyched up for pain they literally jump out of the chair if my hand touches them as I’m preparing to work on them. They hear the buzzing, then my hand, not the needle just touches them. They’re convinced they felt pain.
Best thing to do is be 100% sober, so your mind has more ability to concentrate on the right things, and your brain wil produce the right amounts of adrenaline and dopamines which will dull most of your pain for the first 2 or 3 hours. Try to just relax and focus on something visual is possible, a TV if available, or have a conversation “With your mouth! Not your entire bodY!” I have some clients who can’t seem to talk without moving their entire bodies, especially their hands or heads.
Don’t focus on the tattoo so much and especially don’t ask for constant progress reports, that ruins the concentration of the artist. For example, “How much time left? What are you doing now? Can you do this really really fast?” Most of us will keep you well informed as we go along for your own comfort.
And remember, no matter how much it hurts, at least it’s not as bad as marriage! And your tattoo can never cheat on you or divorce you!
Thanks a lot for the response man. Really helped and motivated me actually. I really hope I can get this ASAP now 😀
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