Some parts of the body are more sensitive than others, and there are some areas where you really don’t like needles—which is understandable. But which area is best for a tattoo? It depends. In addition to your pain tolerance, your choice of design, your profession, and other factors also play a role.
Body parts and tattoos: ideally, this is a perfect match. Your tattoo should complement the part of your body where it’s placed, and its design and colors should harmonize with your skin tone and the contours of that area. Of course, it’s also important that it fits your lifestyle and personal circumstances. If your job involves a lot of customer contact, you may not want to get a tattoo in a highly visible area such as your face or hands. Seek advice once you’ve found the tattoo artist of your dreams! Artists themselves have a lot of experience and can help you decide on body parts and tattoos.
Table of Contents
Lower lip
It might sound unpleasant, and it really is, but it feels less painful than in other areas: The inside of the lower lip is easy to tattoo because the skin there is soft and constantly moist. However, the mucous membranes there are extremely well supplied with blood, which is why these tattoos fade quickly. One advantage is that you don’t need to worry about tattoo aftercare, as it isn’t necessary there.
Neck
The skin around the neck is thin and contains many nerves. That is why getting a tattoo on the neck is quite painful. The position you have to maintain during the procedure is also rather uncomfortable. Since the neck is exposed to a lot of light, your tattoo will fade quickly in this area. However, you can slow down this process somewhat with proper care.
Your tattoo in 3 steps
During your first consultation, you will receive personalized information about your tattoo. Contact us via email or SuperChat (icon in the bottom right corner).
Make an appointment.
Your dream tattoo will be created in a relaxed atmosphere.
Nape
The nape of the neck is less sensitive to pain than the throat, but getting a tattoo there feels uncomfortable. Note that the closer the tattoo gets to the throat, the more painful it is. The neck is moderately affected by tattoo fading. On the one hand, the thick, hairy skin there prevents the lines from being clearly defined after healing. On the other hand, the skin hardly loses elasticity over the years. Therefore, the tattoo does not fade as quickly. How much care your tattoo on the back of your neck requires depends on the length of your hair and the clothes you wear.
Back
You can tolerate getting a tattoo on your back, but it’s still very painful if it’s close to the spine. You don’t need to worry about the tattoo fading here, since this part of the body is rarely exposed to UV radiation and the skin hardly loses its elasticity. However, because clothing often rubs against this area, the skin still requires a lot of care.
Chest
The closer the breast tattoo is to the sternum, nipples, or décolleté, the more painful it will be. Ladies, you’ll need to be especially brave: your breasts are simply more sensitive than men’s. Breast tattoos fade faster than tattoos on other parts of the body, especially for women. This is because skin elasticity decreases in this area. Pregnancy and breastfeeding also affect the skin. Proper tattoo care is particularly important for the breasts, especially in the summer, when adequate sun protection should be considered.
Underboob and ribs
The skin over the sternum and under the breast is extremely thin and contains many nerves. This is one of the most painful areas to get a tattoo. Unfortunately, the lines often appear slightly blurred immediately after the tattoo has healed and change considerably over the next few years. Pregnancies cause major changes in designs for women. An underboob tattoo and a rib tattoo should be moisturized frequently, and special tattoo care is really important here. This is particularly true in the summer.
With rib tattoos, how well they hold up over time depends on their exact location. On the back, the tattoo stays looking good for longer, but closer to the stomach, it quickly loses its appeal due to weight fluctuations and changes in muscle tone.
Belly
Basically, the same applies to belly tattoos as to rib and underboob tattoos: they are incredibly painful because there are so many nerves in that area. A rough rule of thumb: the more sensitive your stomach is to touch, the more painful it will be. How a tattoo ages in this area depends on weight fluctuations and changes in the abdominal muscles, and for women, also on pregnancy. This area is simply challenging if you want the tattoo to look good for many years. Skin care alone can’t completely prevent it from fading, but you should never neglect tattoo care on your stomach under any circumstances.
Upper arm
Your upper arm isn't very sensitive to pain, except on the inside. Maybe that's why so many people get tattoos on their upper arms. However, you should also keep in mind that this part of the body is often exposed to sunlight, which causes the tattoo to fade quickly. The more your tattoo is visible under your T-shirt, the more important it is to take good care of it every day.
Forearm and wrist
Tattoos on the forearm aren't that painful, at least on the surface. Plus, tattoos in this area take much longer to blur and fade than those on other parts of the body. They're also easy to care for.
The wrist is, so to speak, the inner part of the forearm. Tattoos are much more painful there, but still bearable. Because of the thin skin and constant movement in the joint, tattoo fading is a real problem in this area. Frequent hand washing and UV exposure cause tattoos to fade quickly. Proper care is extremely important for wrist tattoos, and it can be quite intensive.
Hand and fingers
The skin on the back of the hand and on the fingers is very thin. There is no subcutaneous fat in these areas. That is why these are among the most painful areas of the body for tattoos. In addition, your hands are constantly exposed to UV radiation, are subject to cold temperatures, are washed frequently, and are exposed to mechanical stress. These conditions cause tattoos to fade quickly, so intensive and regular care with special products—which should always have a high SPF—is very important.
Thigh
The thigh has a lot of subcutaneous fat, which is why getting a tattoo here doesn't hurt as much, at least on the outside. It's a different story on the inner thigh, where only those who enjoy pain should get a tattoo. How quickly your thigh tattoo fades depends on your connective tissue. Frequent weight fluctuations, pregnancies, and weak connective tissue are bad for a tattoo in this area. Intensive care is important, as clothing often rubs against this area. Aside from that, proper care is also good for your connective tissue, as it keeps your skin elastic.
calf
The calf is an ideal spot for beginners when it comes to tattoos. This is because, apart from a few reflex points, the pain is minimal. There’s also a very practical consideration: areas below the knee are less affected by the natural aging of tattoos. The skin doesn’t lose its elasticity as quickly, and weight fluctuations don’t have as significant an impact. Aside from sun protection, your calf tattoo requires very little maintenance.
Foot
Your feet are extremely sensitive to pain. Foot tattoos also pose a challenge for tattoo artists. This is because there are reflex points that cause the foot to twitch uncontrollably during the tattooing process. Tattoo fading is only an issue here in one respect: the colors in this area tend to bleed because your foot is under constant pressure all day long. Socks and shoes rub against the skin, which damages the design. Please always take good care of them!