# Going for my first tattoo. Advice? Stories? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 8, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858 "2010-11-08T02:25:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/21 "2010-11-08T18:03:41Z")
Wow? Razors and knives? Mine felt like a sunburn being scratched. It’s nothing, man. It won’t hurt badly unless you get a tattoo in a high pain area (somewhere fatty like underneath your arm close to the pit or somewhere where the bone is close to the surface). You’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/22 "2010-11-08T18:40:15Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > For those in the know, is there any reason you can’t apply a numbing cream to the area before you have it done? I’ve never had a tattoo, but I have had laser hair removal and Emla cream applied beforehand dialed the discomfort way down. Lidocaine/Prilocaine (Emla) \*can \* theoretically be used for pain relief for tattooing, but it’s a prescription product, and most tattoo artists don’t have prescription privileges. I suppose if you wanted to, you could ask your doctor for a prescription, but most people don’t bother. It also only works for about half an hour, after waiting half an hour for it to kick in, so it’s going to add a lot of time (and money) to your session. This hasn’t stopped the sellers of EMLA from trying to push their product at tattoo conventions and such, but as far as I can tell, no one’s biting. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/23 "2010-11-08T19:13:46Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Lidocaine/Prilocaine (Emla) \*can \* theoretically be used for pain relief for tattooing, but it’s a prescription product, and most tattoo artists don’t have prescription privileges. I suppose if you wanted to, you could ask your doctor for a prescription, but most people don’t bother. It also only works for about half an hour, after waiting half an hour for it to kick in, so it’s going to add a lot of time (and money) to your session. And if you’re nervous enough about getting a tattoo that you’re thinking about using something like this, that 30 of waiting is going to be far worse then than actually getting the ink. Honestly, I know what I said above (red hot razor blades peeling your skin off), but the worst part is that 5 minutes between hearing “Ok Joe, C’mon back” and the actual work starting. Watching them wipe everything down, putting gloves on, getting the gun ready, setting out the different inks, blood flowing faster, adrenaline pumping, hands slightly shaking from the nerves, you hear the gun going ZZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZ, “Ready?” and the needles hit your skin and you think “Phew, I forgot how not bad this is…that’s why I’m getting another one” and from there, it’s cake. It hurts, but it’s cake; It hurts, but not nearly as much as you expected it to; it hurts, but not enough to warrant the train wreck your brain has been for the past day or so. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/24 "2010-11-08T20:07:26Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Lidocaine/Prilocaine (Emla) \*can \* theoretically be used for pain relief for tattooing, but it’s a prescription product, and most tattoo artists don’t have prescription privileges. I suppose if you wanted to, you could ask your doctor for a prescription, but most people don’t bother. It also only works for about half an hour, after waiting half an hour for it to kick in, so it’s going to add a lot of time (and money) to your session. > > This hasn’t stopped the sellers of EMLA from trying to push their product at tattoo conventions and such, but as far as I can tell, no one’s biting. Yet another advantage to being a Canuck - Emla is available OTC here. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/25 "2010-11-11T18:17:04Z")
Regarding pain: My experience is that the pain stops when the needle leaves the skin. So yeah, it’s painful while the ink is going in, but it’s not painful afterward. If you poke at the newly-tattooed area it will be tender - kind of like a sunburn - but if you cover the area so your clothing doesn’t rub it, it won’t hurt. It’s NOT like a burn in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/26 "2010-11-11T21:51:31Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Lidocaine/Prilocaine (Emla) \*can \* theoretically be used for pain relief for tattooing, but it’s a prescription product, and most tattoo artists don’t have prescription privileges. I suppose if you wanted to, you could ask your doctor for a prescription, but most people don’t bother. It also only works for about half an hour, after waiting half an hour for it to kick in, so it’s going to add a lot of time (and money) to your session. You get your doctor to prescribe it, you put it on at home, then go in for the tattoo once it’s kicked in. I have never had a tattoo but that’s what I’ve done when I’ve gotten Brazilian bikini waxing done. It lasts more like an hour after it kicks in, at least for me. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/27 "2010-11-11T21:53:15Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > Yet another advantage to being a Canuck - Emla is available OTC here. How much does it cost? I might have to pick some up next time I’m there if it’s cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/28 "2010-11-11T22:35:06Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > How much does it cost? I might have to pick some up next time I’m there if it’s cheaper. [Emla](http://www.amazon.com/EMLA-Cream-Qty-Gram-Tubes/dp/B002U8Z5UK) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/29 "2010-11-11T23:16:32Z")
The simplest advice I can offer is to make sure that you have a design that you will be happy with 20-30 years down the road. Others may feel different, but I say for the love of OG don’t pick a design off the wall, do something that is at least sort of original. For me there was no issue with pain but the sounds of the needles drove me nuts. Maybe I should think about getting another tat… ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/30 "2010-11-11T23:27:06Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > How much does it cost? I might have to pick some up next time I’m there if it’s cheaper. I paid about $50 for a 30 gram tube at the Wal-Mart pharmacy. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/31 "2010-11-11T23:39:06Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Wow? Razors and knives? > > Mine felt like a sunburn being scratched. It’s nothing, man. It won’t hurt badly unless you get a tattoo in a high pain area (somewhere fatty like underneath your arm close to the pit or somewhere where the bone is close to the surface). > > You’ll be fine. Seriously. My analogy (it seems everybody has one) is it was like being scratched very lightly with the point of a pin. Scritch scritch scritch. Annoying but not painful…except that it went on for 45 minutes. Fortunately, the artist would stop every few minutes and wipe, or something. Location is important – this was on my upper arm. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/32 "2010-11-12T00:02:30Z")
I have a relatively large tattoo (10" x 3") that runs from toeline to 1/4 the way up my lower leg. I took some ibuprophen beforehand. I found the outlining, especially near my toes and around my ankle very painful. I agree with whoever said, it stops once the needle is off the skin. The outlining took about 45 minutes or so, the rest of the 2 1/2 hours was shading/coloring. The shading hurts a bit, but you kind of go into a zone. Even though I’d had lunch, about halfway through I got really hungry so **Suburban Plankton** went out and got me coffee and a scone. LOL! I have a high tolerance for pain and actually enjoyed the shading part. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/33 "2010-11-12T01:07:00Z")
It’s done! The shading hurt the most, but overall it wasn’t too bad. The only issue I had was a blood-pressure dip when it started, but a few minutes later it passed. I sort of knew what was happening since the same thing happens when I give blood. It’s really pretty (a dragonfly with my daughter’s name within the wing) and I like it - will post pics once it’s healed 🙂 The location was just below the base of my neck. It does feel like cutting when they are doing it, but did not even hurt at all about an hour after. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/34 "2010-11-15T23:25:15Z")
[My first tattoo](http://www.flickr.com/photos/poysyn/5178538759/) Not totally healed, but I still LOVE it ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/35 "2010-11-15T23:31:31Z")
Cool. I like the fact that the dragonfly casts a shadow – adds a little 3D. Nice touch. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858/36 "2010-11-15T23:55:18Z")
Oh, cute! I like the shadow, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-for-my-first-tattoo-advice-stories/559858.md?page=1)