Ribcage tattoo pain/tolerance?

[heyitsbritt]

I'm getting my first tattoo tomorrow. And I'm really nervous already. I wasn't supposed to get it until June 14th, and I had it changed because my sister is moving on the 12th, and I want her to come with me. And so, I'm really nervous, but I'm also very very excited. It's something I've always wanted to do. I'm almost 17, and my dad has 12 tattoos, my sister has 3, and my mom has 1. So, I've been around tattoos my whole life. I've been in a tattoo parlor before, and I know exactly what it's going to be like, and what they're going to do, so that's not what I'm nervous about. I'm nervous about the pain. I'm getting a quote on my ribs, which I know is supposed to be the most painful place. But, I do have a very high tolerance for pain. Like, some people compare the pain to sunburn, and sunburn isn't very painful for me. So, I'm not sure how to compare it. I've spoken to the tattoo artist on multiple occasions, and he's done 2 of my sisters tattoos. So, I do know him. He says my tattoo will only take a total of 30 minutes. It's going to say, "The marks humans leave are too often scars". And the quote has a lot of meaning to me, as well as the placement. So, I know this is definately where I want it. And if I were to change the placement, there would be less meaning behind it. But it's not going to be like, a 6 hour tattoo. But what I'm worried about is, I'm very skinny, to the point where I'm underweight, so the tattoo will literally be on top of my ribs. So, the pain makes me nervous. On a scale from 1-10, how bad is the pain? And is there anything I can do to calm down, because I know I'm going to be nervous.

[Diehardonvhs]

You really shouldn't be getting tattooed at 16.

[SacramentoDan]

if you're that worried about the pain,then don't get a tattoo,and whoever told you the tattoo pain is like a sunburn was way wrong IMO.Not that I ever get sunburned,but that's just not true.

besides more importantly like was mentioned,you should not be getting tattoos at 16.

wait a few years,think it over for a while longer,see how you feel in 3 or 4 years.

[tatB]

getting tattooed hurts a lot and ranks pretty high up the physical pain chart.... I wish I had an appointment tomorrow so I could enjoy the experience again....

[Killercook76]

I agree with everyone here 16 is too young to get a tattoo.. Firstly the only people who will do a tattoo on a 16 year old .. not very good artist.. I would wait and save money to get a tattoo from only world class tattooers..

As far as the pain.. 30 mins aside.. It will not feel like a sunburn!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHA who ever told you that is full of ...

Being your first tattoo you have no idea so i cannot tell you how it will feel but it is painful. Scale of 1 to 10.. Like a 8.9 lol..

I started out with arm tattoos .. those are like a 3 or so..

I completely understand you wanting a tattoo now.. it's not a good idea on so many levels at your age... Unless your parents are willing to pay for a decent amount of money and only go to the best tattooers/shops. Otherwise wait!

[hogg]

I'm tattooed damn near all over, and I can safely say that the ribs were far and away the worst for me. Way worse than the ass, spine, kneecaps, and feet.

Listen to what Killercook76 says in the post above this one. All of it.

But hey, you're 16, and as such, probably don't give a shit what a bunch of old strangers on the internet have to say.

Signed,

An Old Stranger on the Internet

[Shaun1105]

Listen to what Killercook76 says in the post above this one. All of it.

Also, on the sunburn reference - perhaps someone was telling you what a tattoo felt like after it was done? At times during the healing process can hurt pretty much like a sunburn and also peel like one.

But the actual application of the tattoo is quite a bit more painful (and I've only had work on my arms - not looking forward to the pain from the large rib pieces I have planned to eventually get).

[SacramentoDan]

Also, on the sunburn reference - perhaps someone was telling you what a tattoo felt like after it was done? At times during the healing process can hurt pretty much like a sunburn and also peel like one.

But the actual application of the tattoo is quite a bit more painful (and I've only had work on my arms - not looking forward to the pain from the large rib pieces I have planned to eventually get).

that makes more sense of what he was probably told.

[HaydenRose]

While I agree with the others that you should wait until you're at least 18 to get a tattoo...

My first tattoo was a large piece on my ribs. I weighed 110 lbs at the time. Did it hurt? Yes. Did I die? No. Have I undergone more painful tattoos since? Yes.

My ribs took about 3 hours and weren't that bad. My foot took 30 minutes and I was ready to strangle some one.

Also note that a bunch of wussy men are telling you how painful it is. Women have a much higher tolerance ^_^ I think there's also a thread that already exists about ribcage tattoos. A quick search would bring it up.

[Killercook76]

While I agree with the others that you should wait until you're at least 18 to get a tattoo...

My first tattoo was a large piece on my ribs. I weighed 110 lbs at the time. Did it hurt? Yes. Did I die? No. Have I undergone more painful tattoos since? Yes.

My ribs took about 3 hours and weren't that bad. My foot took 30 minutes and I was ready to strangle some one.

Also note that a bunch of wussy men are telling you how painful it is. Women have a much higher tolerance ^_^ I think there's also a thread that already exists about ribcage tattoos. A quick search would bring it up.

I found I lasted four hours on each session on my ribs.. I guess I'm a wuss because after 3.5 hours of so it hurt like hell.. haha

[beez]

While I agree with the others that you should wait until you're at least 18 to get a tattoo...

My first tattoo was a large piece on my ribs. I weighed 110 lbs at the time. Did it hurt? Yes. Did I die? No. Have I undergone more painful tattoos since? Yes.

My ribs took about 3 hours and weren't that bad. My foot took 30 minutes and I was ready to strangle some one.

Also note that a bunch of wussy men are telling you how painful it is. Women have a much higher tolerance ^_^ I think there's also a thread that already exists about ribcage tattoos. A quick search would bring it up.

Actually, about that "women have a much higher tolerance" thing - I have been researching an article about pain, how the body handles pain and how each person handles the pain of getting a tattoo. I have always heard the "women have a higher pain tolerance than men" trope, and it was a given as far as my assumptions pre-research - turns out it is not strictly true!

Here are a few links with some information - prob best used as a jumping off point, but interesting and helpful, to say the least!

Gender Differences in Brain Responses to Pain

Do men and women feel pain differently?

How Women Work

I know as far as pain and tattooing go for me, I concentrate on my breathing and everything is fine. It becomes warm after the initial sharp feeling, and that's that. I actually started this research because the last time I was getting tattooed one of the artists said he couldn't believe how calmly I could sit regularly for 6 hours at a time. (Really it never occurred to me to do it any differently! Hah!). I responded with the "women have higher pain thresholds than men" answer, and filed it away to research. He said he uses meditation to get through pain, and he can sit for about 4.5 hours before he's done.

Hopefully it will be an interesting article when all is said and done. If anyone has cool pain info, point me to it, please!

[Dan S]

Ribcage really and truly, honest-to-Wotan, hurts. Don't do it.

[AriTattoos]

Rib tattoos definately hurt. I would place it at 8 or 9 as far as tattoo pain goes. My knee, foot, and right on the shin hurt way more though.

The expression that people use around Florida is that a tattoo feels like having a sunburn and then having a cat drag its claws across the sunburn.... your analogy is missing the part with the cat claws =)

I think thats actually a pretty accurate desciription of the pain if you've never been tattooed.

My only advice is to go bigger than you're planning.

I also agree that Women are tougher at getting tatted for whatever reason.

Since its going to be covered under clothing don't wait.

Your face neck and hands can wait until after you're 30 =)

[Diehardonvhs]

Thw whole "women have higher pain tolerances than men" thing is total balls - It has been debunked time and time again. Its just an urban myth due to the whole childbirth thing. Google it.

What I have mainly found is that there is no correlation between men and women when getting tattooed - It's all about the individual. I have seen some women scream the house down and cry their eyes out for a very small tattoo in an easy area, I have seen some men sit and get their ribs and crotch carved up by a VERY heavy handed artist for eight hours without a single complaint. I have also seen some men who cant sit still for ten minutes at a time due to the pain, and some women who fall asleep because the pain just doesnt affect them in any way whatsoever. Everyone is different!!!

[HaydenRose]

I was more making a joke than trying to be accurate. It's definitely depends on the individual, environment, and prior experiences with pain. I just found it amusing that every one who has answered this girl was a man and couldn't help myself :)

Now lets see if this girl heeded our advice and got the tattoo anyway yesterday or today (?) ...Curious how it went!

[youthcrewalex]

it sucks but its bareable. boh muy sides are full and im a wimp

[lynne]

Hey so I just had my first ribcage tattoo last week so I'll describe the pain experience:

When it first started it did not hurt at all; it just felt like someone scratching me a bit.

Then the needle went over a nerve ending and I felt a sharp twinge. In between hitting these nerve endings it was painless but every time the needle came across one it pinched. To explain what it felt like I would mention that at first I thought that it was every time the needle went over a rib bone I felt a pinch but when I said that to the artist she explained it was the nerve endings; that part of your body has lots of internal organs than need protection so our bodies have lots of nerve endings there to freak out and say "hey be careful, there's important stuff behind these ribs!" So as she worked on the part of the tattoo closer to my front and further from my back it became more painful as there are more nerve endings there. The reason I bring up the fact that I thought it was my ribs themselves that were causing the intermittent shots of pain is that I have had rib injuries before and it was the same sensation. So if you have ever had bruised or fractured ribs (from sports or something) it is the same nerves that will be complaining during the tattoo.

Another thing to watch out for: in order to hold me down for the tattoo, the artist was holding my arm/body down near my armpit. I'm pretty ticklish so the sensation of a needle activating my nerve endings combined with the reflex to pull down my arm because my armpit was being tickled -- if you are ticklish keep this in mind and keep your body relaxed because tensing up from the tickling will make the pain from the tattoo more intense in my opinion.

[slayer9019]

The question of pain in relation to getting tattoo comes up quite often. In my experience how much something hurts is really subjective. I think it really comes down to a baseline to what you have experienced. By the time I got my first tattoo I have experienced a ton more pain than any tattooer could dish out. Cracked half my front teeth out, multiple concussions, broken fingers, cracked collarbone, broken feet, etc. At that point a tattoo needle just really isn't that bad. That being said, people know generally have a similar idea which areas hurt worse but nobody can tell you how much it will hurt.

[iowagirl]

I hope you decided to wait. I was under the impression that even w/parental consent a person couldn't be tattooed under 18, but maybe I'm wrong, or it's state specific? And not to say that at 18 you magically know exactly what you'll want on your body forever or anything, but it gives you a little bit more time to think about what you want/where you want it etc.

I can't speak to the pain on the ribs, not having any there. Feet blow, I can tell you that, but you'd never know it by watching me..but only b/c I refuse to show that it hurts. Inside I was swearing and wanting to kick the guy. I *could* have made all kinds of noise. Now when I was in labor, that was pain like I've never felt before and I could *not* make a sound. All I could do was lie there like a limp noodle...and that's how I felt too. Being tattooed never left me feeling like I'd been thru the washing machine. 'Course, I never did it for 40 hours straight either so who knows haha!

I always thought being tattooed felt like..being carved. If I knew what being carved felt like. And if it wasn't so much a knife as a buzzing machine w/a bunch of needles in it.