Some tattoos hurt more than others depending on many different factors. One of the many factors happens to be the location of the tattoo. In this part of our tattoo pain series we’ll be talking about rib tattoo pain and how much rib tattoos hurt for most people.
Do Rib Tattoos Hurt?
For the vast majority of people, yes, they do… But not everyone.
As already mentioned, tattoo pain is different for everyone, and just because the majority of people tend to agree that rib tattoo pain is somewhat worse that most other areas.
This isn’t to say that you’re going to feel the same amount of discomfort though.
However – you must also remember that you will feel at least some pain and discomfort.
After all, you’re getting multiple needles jabbed into your skin many thousands of times a minute – but this goes for all areas of your body, not just your ribs.
In terms of how much rib tattoos hurt – as stated above, many people do find the rib cage a particularly painful place to get tattooed.
This is for a couple of reasons.
One of the reasons is that the skin is generally extremely thin and sensitive around many areas of the rib cage. The thinner the skin, the more sensitive it generally is.
When the needles puncture the thin areas of skin around the ribs, the pain can feel quite sharp and intense when compared to the regular scratching and burning sensation that comes with being tattooed on many other areas of the body that have ‘averagely thick’ skin (such as forearms, thighs and chest areas for example).
The second reason is that fact the the needles will be penetrating so close to bone.
When this happens, the tattooing sensation can feel very intense, and it often feels like your whole body is vibrating and rattling from the needles.
Although it’s not always that painful when a tattoo is being placed close to the bone, it is normally quite uncomfortable due to the rattling feeling.
You must remember though, that what getting a new tattoo feels like is totally dependent on how you personally can deal with the pain and discomfort.
How to make a tattoo hurt less:
Rib Tattoo Pain Spots
Side of Rib Tattoo Pain
This is the most popular area for rib tattoos and is unfortunately one of the most painful areas.
The skin is normally quite thin around the area and many nerve endings are situated quite close to the surface.
There are mixed comments about the pain however. Whilst some people describe the experience as ‘agony’, others say it’s not too bad and easily manageable.
Front of Rib Tattoo Pain
Although still potentially quite painful, there are a few areas towards the front of the rib cage that harbor a little more fat. This can cushion the needles slightly and damped the pain.
Sternum Tattoo Pain
Again, the amount of pain experienced in the sternum area appears to be quite mixed amongst people who were previously inked there.
What you must be aware of is that this area contains such little fat and such thin skin that it could be one of the more painful areas for you to get tattooed on.
On the other hand though, plenty of people have said that the pain isn’t too bad, and there are areas much worse (again, these areas vary from person-to-person).
Therefore, you may just have to get a tattoo there yourself in order to see just how painful (or hopefully painless) it will be for you.
How to Make Rib Tattoos Hurt Less
Choose a Small Design
The ribs are very popular places to get tattooed on, and many of the tattoos being placed onto the rib area are quite small and delicate, and these still manage to look extremely effective while minimizing the amount of pain you must go through to get them.
Pick a Gentle Artist
When tattooing an area as delicate as your ribs, you’ll want an experienced artist who won’t be too rough/heavy handed.
No matter which artist you pick, you will of course experience at least some form of pain/discomfort due to the obvious nature of getting tattooed. Some artists though, are generally more gentle than others (and visa-versa).
Use a Tattoo Numbing Spray/Cream
If you’re still worried that you might not be able to make it through the pain, then you might want to try applying a numbing product to the area before/at the beginning of your tattoo session.
Although the effectiveness of many numbing products will vary between people, many users are very happy with the numbing effect that their chosen numbing spray/cream achieves.
My Favorite Tattoo Numbing Product
My Favorite Tattoo Numbing Product
One of the most effective tattoo numbing products currently on the market is a cream called Numb 520. The feedback left by hundreds of customers for this product is nothing short of brilliant.
Just follow the instructions on the tubs, apply shortly before your tattooing session is due to begin and look forward to a less-painful experience.
The 1.35oz tub also ensures you will have more than enough cream for a large tattoo.
Give it a try, and I’m confident you will not be disappointed.
Read more about Numb 520 here, and have a quick look at some of the customer reviews to see exactly why it’s one of the best and most popular numbing creams on the market.
Here’s a selection of my other favorite tattoo numbing creams and sprays currently available.
How to Care for a Rib Tattoo
In terms of looking after a rib tattoo, the aftercare isn’t too difficult, and is much easier than many other areas if the body.
The lack of joints in the area means that you don’t have to worry about you tattoo constantly being bent and moved, which can delay healing times.
As the rib area is also covered up most of the time when in the sun (besides at the beach), your healing tattoo shouldn’t be too affected by sun damage either.
One of the main problems you might come across when looking after your rib tattoo is that it may sometimes stick to whatever you’re wearing during the scabbing process.
You can get around this problem by ensuring that you don’t do anything to make your clothing press against the tattooed area for prolonged periods of time.
Finally, you will want to keep the area well moisturized with a good tattoo lotion to ensure that scabs don’t become too dry and cracked, which can cause you tattoo to lose small amounts of ink and become patchy.
The best tattoo lotion I’ve ever personally used is a (vegan) tattoo aftercare product called Hustle Butter. This stuff works amazingly well during the healing process – not only to keep your tattoo really well hydrated, but it’s also very good at soothing that annoying itching and irritation.
Summary
Rib tattoos can definitely be painful, but many people also advise that getting tattooed on the area isn’t as bad as many describe. Obviously however, the pain will always be different from person to person.
In terms of rib tattoo pain – when compared to other areas of the body, the pain is definitely higher than average for most people, but not so excruciating that you should stop yourself from getting one. You must always remember that how much rib tattoos hurt is all dependent on the person getting the ink!
Important Tattoo Aftercare Steps You Must Ensure You Take
Some of our other awesomely-helpful guides:
Table of Contents