for my tattooed freaky people...

[keryx]

I am perplexed by people who say tattoos don't hurt that much. Unless you live with pain every day, making your scale different, I think tattoos hurt. A lot.

I now have three in different spots, and each has hurt in varying ways to varying degrees. And. Absolutely never something I would describe as a "tingle" or a "pinprick". More like a "touching a searing hot stove at unusual angles" or "a needle puncturing your skin over an over at an extremely fast rate". Each time the process starts, I make a mental note to myself (apparently in very light pencil) that this is stupid and I never plan to do it again.

The only nice things about tattoo pain are its extreme localization and the way it gets you a little contemplative after the first half hour or so. But that's the first half hour of really very noticeable pain, and it's not like it goes away when you meditate. It just gets endurable. A few hours later when the euphoria wears off, my whole body starts to complain that I've stuck it with needles a lot, and could we maybe take a nap...

You? If you have tattoos (or if you just feel like speculating or throwing off the curve), tell me: did yours hurt? How about after?
[Poll #1378247]

Comments

[snidegrrl.livejournal.com]

With the arm I've had the whole gamut. This last one, which was not much filling and only black work, felt like a total breeze. But then the two before that were awful and I needed to hold a hand and take breaks and stuff. I do get why people say it's like being scratched by a cat over and over.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

A really truly evil cat. Maybe Nic could take up abstract tattooing as a career. Dip his claws in ink. Hee.

I'm always surprised by what hurts and what doesn't. Buddha's head, which is a million tiny strokes right on my spine, hardly hurt at all, but the broad curves on my right side were survived with toe-curling and carefully controlled breathing.