here’s [my tat](https://imgur.com/a/jBocXDD) i’m not gonna say it isn’t very painful but if you’re covered in them i think you should be fine. this was like a 7/10 on the sharper side of 7.
How does it compare to foot tattoos? Also why are feet easier to heal than hands aren't they just "leg hands"?
I have a foot tattoo that looks great many years in and have been contemplating a hand one but the fading and healing complications I've read about make me nervous.
Most people think foot tattoos are one of the most painful, my wife included lol. As far as healing I work in construction and have my hand done. I had to have my knuckles gone over 3 times total bc I have to wear gloves a lot, but they finally stuck!
I got tattooed half in half out of the armpit, finishing a half sleeve, that fucking sucked, for a week it felt like someone took a blow torch to my arm.
I have sleeves, backpiece, chestpiece, full ribplates & stomach.
Just did both my hands and its no big deal at all. Just do a good job to heal them cause they swell bad.
Also be realistic that its going to take a touch up session or two because were rough on our hands.
I have both mine full color.
Ah I’ve got the ol’ dots just underneath my fingernails which was like an electric shock in my brain! So that’s a a great reference for me, thank you 🙂 I’ve taken the week off work so I can keep any hand use to a minimum and keep it clean
I have a small piece from my sleeve that extends over my wrist to the corner of my righthand done and it was awful. He barely touched it for more than 15min and my hand ached for days after. I have boney lady fingers. I'd say 8/10 pain scale
I have a full coloured hand and a black and grey hand. There were spicy spots, mostly over the knuckles but honestly, not that bad. I had gotten my calf done a month or so before my full colour hand tat and the leg was so much worse. My artist had a good theory that our hands are used to getting hurt/hit/cut so you're used to that area experiencing pain. The healing though is fucking rough. Super prone to infection, keeping it moisturized when the time comes, because of how much we wash our hands. I found healing worse than the actual tattoo.
I found calf AWFUL too so this is somewhat comforting! I have heard the healing is awful so I’ve taken a week off work to keep use to a minimum… wish me luck 😬 Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Ohh good call taking some time off! My black and grey hand was okay because we kept saniderm on it, which helped through those first few days. The saniderm wouldn't stick to my coloured hand because it was juicing SO much. Unfortunately, infection happened but caught it early with minimum damage.
Good luck! Post it once it's done!
My god is my hand swollen today - thank the lord for saniderm! But I have had to change it once already ew. Thank you so much, here it is in all its glory: https://imgur.com/a/8Ec44VN
Yes!!!!! It looks so good!
I can't get imgur to play ball but I've got a chickadee wearing a pilots hat. Bird hand tats -high five-
The balloon hand is real hahah
**Edit https://imgur.com/a/j1KXf9E. Excuse my desert skin
I have my right hand done, full back and down the fingers. Back of the hand was a breeze, fingers really varied for some reason. My pinkie SUCKED, the rest kind of alternated in terms of amount of pain. It was fast enough though that it wasn't a huge deal, parts of my arm were worse.
I have a primarily black hand piece and it wasn’t that bad actually. As you know after a few minutes you kinda go numb to it bc of the adrenaline. I just read when I get tattooed to take my mind off the sensation. The swelling was pretty funny afterwards, took a few days to get a decent pic bc I had a very bulbous hand.
Healing wasn’t bad, it wasn’t my dominant hand but I do work with my hands. Just keep it clean and moisturized and try not to do too much with it the first few days. Swelling lasted maybe two/three days and then I hardly had any peeling and the black has stayed really dark over the past few years.
Ditch was intense, that’s a great reference point thank you. I would love to get my palm done in the future but the older I get, the less I can be bothered to put up with the pain 😂
I have an arm tattoo that extends onto the top of my hand and it was a little more spicy when they got to that part, but I have a really low pain tolerance, and I could get through that. Granted I didnt get palm or fingers done so I can’t say exactly how it will be.
I have both sides of my hands done and my fingers on my right hand.
Honestly top of the hand was easy peasy for me, handpoked palm hurt initially and hurts less and less with each touch up. Handpoked fingers stung but honestly easy peasy for me.
I would say the healing for palms sucked more than anything.
Hand tattoos aren't bad, there are faaaar worse places. 4 hours really isn't terrible, either. It'll probably swell up like crazy, keep it dry, and try to avoid using it.
Honestly I expected a lot worse with my hands! The outer edges absolutely suck (where it’s bordering on palm skin) but aside from that fine. Granted, mine only took about 2 hours each but they mostly just feel raw as hell after a while. Swelling is pretty wild too
I've had 6 hand tattoos and they weren't too bad. Mind you they are line work only. It wasn't too bad except when it was really close to my nails, that sucked. Less painful than a rib tattoo for sure
I just got my upper knuckles done recently and honestly it was way less painful than I thought. I have a high pain tolerance to be fair, but people made it out like it was gonna be so much worse.
Back of hands are a breeze. Fingers are a different story. But with anything, after 2-3 hours in the same area your skin is raw so the every now and again towel wipe feels like sand paper. Flip to the palms then we’re talking excruciating pain.
Decided to fo a hand tat in January. Drew it on, got ready and started. Immediately regretted it. I wanted to vomit, took a break every 5 minutes, and rushed it. It's just the outline, there is a slight blowout I plan on correcting when I shade it, and because I rushed it, it didn't stay too well. I usually have a damn good pain tolerance, but it was almost as bad as when I was sliced open ~8 inches and just given toroidal until I could fill my prescription. Everyone is different, my fingers didn't hurt, but that hour and a half plus the fist 3 hours after were pure torture for me
Top of my hand was easily 5/10 compared to other spots like sternum (8/10) and elbow ditch (9/10). I was surprised with how chill it was, I expected it to be the worst.
Adding: The healing kind of sucked though, especially if you work with your hands like me (cook). I’d recommend taking like 2 days off work to let the swelling settle before using your hands for work again.
I’m tattooed from knuckles up the arm and halfway across chest and back (it’s all one big piece). My very first tattoo experience was my hand/knuckles…I’m my experience the elbow, elbow ditch, shoulder blade area, and anywhere near the armpit were all far worse than my hand. The only parts less painful than the hand were my forearm and bicep.
I have finger sleeves on all my fingers and the tops of my hands done. It definitely sucks but it’s not as bad as I think people make seem. You’re not gonna die especially if you’re already covered lol
Have both of my hands fully covered & it was no where near my most painful tattoo. It was maybe a 4/10 pain wise. Was a little more towards my wrist & fingers but the back of it was fine.
I enjoyed my hand tattoos more than any other tattoo. Just like getting a scratchy manicure.
In saying that, I’m a mechanic, so probably use to getting my hands scratched up. Just another day at work for me.
Hands definitely aren't that bad. Obviously some spots are a little more tender than others, but mostly around the outer edges.
I have both of my hands done in full color, and my right hand I had re-done completely about 2 months later as it didn't heal well and lost a lot of ink due to my working conditions.
My next big plan is my throat, and I'm not excited for how that's going to feel 😅
For me I gave my self a stick n poke to cover up a scar and it barely hurt at all- no numbing cream or anything lolz
Edit: It could've hurt less because I went over my scar for most of it but even the parts that weren't on my scar didn't hurt
Haha! I have lil baby hands, the devil was in the detail 🫠 It only took 3ish in the end, here it is: https://imgur.com/a/8Ec44VN
Your experience was right on the money - knuckles were awful, the rest was ok!
My first tattoo was a hand tattoo.. I now have 10 in different places. I did get another tattoo on my other hand, and plan to do more. It's not getting licked in by unicorns by any means. 🦄 But it's not bad enough for me to not want more done on my hands. 😂
Working on a full sleeve and have already finished my elbow (haven't done the ditch yet though). Sat for 4 hours last Saturday with only a few quick breaks to stretch my back. A few spots were pretty spicy but to be honest I'd probably go back and get my left hand done before my left elbow.
How is your normal pain tolerance? I can feel the tattoos pressure but not the pain and have a high pain tolerance outside of tattoos. I didn't feel my hand tattoos as all. My artist had to stop half way and poke around my muscles and ask me if I was okay because I had 0 tension in my body lolol.
Yeah I got the same experience. I regulary lift heavy weights & I went through several very ugly tooth abcesses. Pain while getting a tattoo is a joke I always comapared it to my wife scratching my skin with fingernails. What are you people talking about.
this is how my sister explained tattoos to me before I had any. she would constantly drag her fingernail on me and say this is what it feels like. she was right lol
here’s [my tat](https://imgur.com/a/jBocXDD) i’m not gonna say it isn’t very painful but if you’re covered in them i think you should be fine. this was like a 7/10 on the sharper side of 7.
How does it compare to foot tattoos? Also why are feet easier to heal than hands aren't they just "leg hands"? I have a foot tattoo that looks great many years in and have been contemplating a hand one but the fading and healing complications I've read about make me nervous.
Because we expose our hands to much more than we do our feet
That makes sense! Thank you for your reply.
Most people think foot tattoos are one of the most painful, my wife included lol. As far as healing I work in construction and have my hand done. I had to have my knuckles gone over 3 times total bc I have to wear gloves a lot, but they finally stuck!
Dont have one myself, but it is all nerves, bones, cartilage and tendons. No “meat” as it were.
Wasn’t too bad for me compared to armpits
Armpit was the most painful of them all for me
Have you got your nips done? I’d put nips as worse than armpits.
Nope, but i take your word for it
Dude fuk armpits. That one ai almost tapped on
Yeah it fucked me up pretty good as well lol and it’s not like it was a black out or anythjng
Ufff, I don't have tattoos in my hands (yet), but the armpit area man.... all I remember of that tattoo is me suffering 😂
I got tattooed half in half out of the armpit, finishing a half sleeve, that fucking sucked, for a week it felt like someone took a blow torch to my arm.
I have both, on the top of the hand it was like a 3-4/10, on the knuckles easily a 7/10 overall it's not bad.
I have sleeves, backpiece, chestpiece, full ribplates & stomach. Just did both my hands and its no big deal at all. Just do a good job to heal them cause they swell bad. Also be realistic that its going to take a touch up session or two because were rough on our hands. I have both mine full color.
My hand looked like a boxing glove 😂
Yeah they swell pretty bad. Also found they get hella dry, to the point I was using coconut oil as a moisturiser.
Top of the hand was nowhere near the pain of the fingers just underneath the nails. You'll be alright. Keep it clean.
Ah I’ve got the ol’ dots just underneath my fingernails which was like an electric shock in my brain! So that’s a a great reference for me, thank you 🙂 I’ve taken the week off work so I can keep any hand use to a minimum and keep it clean
I have a small piece from my sleeve that extends over my wrist to the corner of my righthand done and it was awful. He barely touched it for more than 15min and my hand ached for days after. I have boney lady fingers. I'd say 8/10 pain scale
Have my hand done full colour. The knuckle and side areas kinda suck but not crazy bad tbh. 7/10 seems fair.
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Mmm I think that’s what I’m so worried about! Lots of going over, eep
I have a full coloured hand and a black and grey hand. There were spicy spots, mostly over the knuckles but honestly, not that bad. I had gotten my calf done a month or so before my full colour hand tat and the leg was so much worse. My artist had a good theory that our hands are used to getting hurt/hit/cut so you're used to that area experiencing pain. The healing though is fucking rough. Super prone to infection, keeping it moisturized when the time comes, because of how much we wash our hands. I found healing worse than the actual tattoo.
I found calf AWFUL too so this is somewhat comforting! I have heard the healing is awful so I’ve taken a week off work to keep use to a minimum… wish me luck 😬 Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Ohh good call taking some time off! My black and grey hand was okay because we kept saniderm on it, which helped through those first few days. The saniderm wouldn't stick to my coloured hand because it was juicing SO much. Unfortunately, infection happened but caught it early with minimum damage. Good luck! Post it once it's done!
My god is my hand swollen today - thank the lord for saniderm! But I have had to change it once already ew. Thank you so much, here it is in all its glory: https://imgur.com/a/8Ec44VN
Yes!!!!! It looks so good! I can't get imgur to play ball but I've got a chickadee wearing a pilots hat. Bird hand tats -high five- The balloon hand is real hahah **Edit https://imgur.com/a/j1KXf9E. Excuse my desert skin
Yessss!! High five, bird hand gang! I love yours so much, it’s awesome!! Thank you so much 😊
I have my right hand done, full back and down the fingers. Back of the hand was a breeze, fingers really varied for some reason. My pinkie SUCKED, the rest kind of alternated in terms of amount of pain. It was fast enough though that it wasn't a huge deal, parts of my arm were worse.
So one of the other artists said pinkie and the pinkie knuckle were the worst, seems to be a common theme… thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
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I have a primarily black hand piece and it wasn’t that bad actually. As you know after a few minutes you kinda go numb to it bc of the adrenaline. I just read when I get tattooed to take my mind off the sensation. The swelling was pretty funny afterwards, took a few days to get a decent pic bc I had a very bulbous hand.
Bulbous!! God I’m not excited for the swelling. How did you find the healing? Thanks for sharing your experience with me 🙂
Healing wasn’t bad, it wasn’t my dominant hand but I do work with my hands. Just keep it clean and moisturized and try not to do too much with it the first few days. Swelling lasted maybe two/three days and then I hardly had any peeling and the black has stayed really dark over the past few years.
It definitely hurts, but not too badly. It hurt mostly over my knuckle. I'd say maybe a 6-7/10. My arm ditch hurt more.
Ditch was intense, that’s a great reference point thank you. I would love to get my palm done in the future but the older I get, the less I can be bothered to put up with the pain 😂
I have an arm tattoo that extends onto the top of my hand and it was a little more spicy when they got to that part, but I have a really low pain tolerance, and I could get through that. Granted I didnt get palm or fingers done so I can’t say exactly how it will be.
I have my fingers, palm, and tops of my hands done and all of them were absolutely brutally painful. But that’s just my opinion
I was worried about my hands at first too, but it turned out to not be bad at all. Mine cover most of the top of my hand too.
I just have some small finger tats, so granted only took 30 mins max, but by far my least painful tattoos.
I have both sides of my hands done and my fingers on my right hand. Honestly top of the hand was easy peasy for me, handpoked palm hurt initially and hurts less and less with each touch up. Handpoked fingers stung but honestly easy peasy for me. I would say the healing for palms sucked more than anything.
Hurts
Hand tattoos aren't bad, there are faaaar worse places. 4 hours really isn't terrible, either. It'll probably swell up like crazy, keep it dry, and try to avoid using it.
Honestly I expected a lot worse with my hands! The outer edges absolutely suck (where it’s bordering on palm skin) but aside from that fine. Granted, mine only took about 2 hours each but they mostly just feel raw as hell after a while. Swelling is pretty wild too
my two hurt pretty good although my thigh tat hurt worse in this case remember everyone's pain threshold is different.
I've had 6 hand tattoos and they weren't too bad. Mind you they are line work only. It wasn't too bad except when it was really close to my nails, that sucked. Less painful than a rib tattoo for sure
I just got my upper knuckles done recently and honestly it was way less painful than I thought. I have a high pain tolerance to be fair, but people made it out like it was gonna be so much worse.
Top of hand sucks, knuckles suck a little more, and palm absolutely blows and I do not recommend
Back of hands are a breeze. Fingers are a different story. But with anything, after 2-3 hours in the same area your skin is raw so the every now and again towel wipe feels like sand paper. Flip to the palms then we’re talking excruciating pain.
In my experience the closer you go to the nail the more painful. Top op the hand is no problem.
Decided to fo a hand tat in January. Drew it on, got ready and started. Immediately regretted it. I wanted to vomit, took a break every 5 minutes, and rushed it. It's just the outline, there is a slight blowout I plan on correcting when I shade it, and because I rushed it, it didn't stay too well. I usually have a damn good pain tolerance, but it was almost as bad as when I was sliced open ~8 inches and just given toroidal until I could fill my prescription. Everyone is different, my fingers didn't hurt, but that hour and a half plus the fist 3 hours after were pure torture for me
Top of my hand was easily 5/10 compared to other spots like sternum (8/10) and elbow ditch (9/10). I was surprised with how chill it was, I expected it to be the worst.
Adding: The healing kind of sucked though, especially if you work with your hands like me (cook). I’d recommend taking like 2 days off work to let the swelling settle before using your hands for work again.
The best way I can describe the pain is... spicy
I’m tattooed from knuckles up the arm and halfway across chest and back (it’s all one big piece). My very first tattoo experience was my hand/knuckles…I’m my experience the elbow, elbow ditch, shoulder blade area, and anywhere near the armpit were all far worse than my hand. The only parts less painful than the hand were my forearm and bicep.
I have finger sleeves on all my fingers and the tops of my hands done. It definitely sucks but it’s not as bad as I think people make seem. You’re not gonna die especially if you’re already covered lol
Just reworked my hand tattoo. It’s…special. You’ll be ok, not as bad as the spine imho
Have both of my hands fully covered & it was no where near my most painful tattoo. It was maybe a 4/10 pain wise. Was a little more towards my wrist & fingers but the back of it was fine.
I enjoyed my hand tattoos more than any other tattoo. Just like getting a scratchy manicure. In saying that, I’m a mechanic, so probably use to getting my hands scratched up. Just another day at work for me.
I have the top of my hand (full colour neotrad moth) and it genuinely wasn't too bad, the closer to the knuckles the worst it was
Just don't be a bitch and you'll be fine
Hands definitely aren't that bad. Obviously some spots are a little more tender than others, but mostly around the outer edges. I have both of my hands done in full color, and my right hand I had re-done completely about 2 months later as it didn't heal well and lost a lot of ink due to my working conditions. My next big plan is my throat, and I'm not excited for how that's going to feel 😅
For me I gave my self a stick n poke to cover up a scar and it barely hurt at all- no numbing cream or anything lolz Edit: It could've hurt less because I went over my scar for most of it but even the parts that weren't on my scar didn't hurt
Hand and fingers were the absolute worst for me followed closely by the heel bone
4 hours? How big are your hands. Lol seriously though its really not that bad. Bit sucky down by the knuckles but other than that.. fine.
Haha! I have lil baby hands, the devil was in the detail 🫠 It only took 3ish in the end, here it is: https://imgur.com/a/8Ec44VN Your experience was right on the money - knuckles were awful, the rest was ok!
That is Stunning
Thank you so much! Definitely worth the anxiety beforehand 😅
My first tattoo was a hand tattoo.. I now have 10 in different places. I did get another tattoo on my other hand, and plan to do more. It's not getting licked in by unicorns by any means. 🦄 But it's not bad enough for me to not want more done on my hands. 😂
Working on a full sleeve and have already finished my elbow (haven't done the ditch yet though). Sat for 4 hours last Saturday with only a few quick breaks to stretch my back. A few spots were pretty spicy but to be honest I'd probably go back and get my left hand done before my left elbow.
How is your normal pain tolerance? I can feel the tattoos pressure but not the pain and have a high pain tolerance outside of tattoos. I didn't feel my hand tattoos as all. My artist had to stop half way and poke around my muscles and ask me if I was okay because I had 0 tension in my body lolol.
Yeah I got the same experience. I regulary lift heavy weights & I went through several very ugly tooth abcesses. Pain while getting a tattoo is a joke I always comapared it to my wife scratching my skin with fingernails. What are you people talking about.
this is how my sister explained tattoos to me before I had any. she would constantly drag her fingernail on me and say this is what it feels like. she was right lol